Splash-Splash

Yesterday we started the day by meeting our new pastor at church.  He certainly has changed the service presentation by bringing in a large-screen TV and PowerPoint slides to enhance his sermon and the service.  He has kept some of the traditional parts of the service, but his way of relating what he is saying to our lives today is welcome and refreshing. He is young and energetic, and that is just what our small congregation needs. Everyone we talked to seems to really like him.

After church, we headed home and got to work.  Rick dug out the power-washer and proceeded to give Gladys a well-needed bath.  Six months alone left her with cut-grass splatter at her feet, an overall layer of dirt, and cobwebs and bugs under her soffits.  Rick worked a long time to get Gladys back to her freshly-painted splendor, and then he tackled our white fence.

Rick sprays the bottom of the walls to remove the
grass clippings that splatter up when the
lawn service man edges around the house.

The south wall changes back to our original yellow
thanks to a little water pressure.

After he finished with the house, the sidewalk pavers in the front were the next thing to clean. The heat and humidity in Florida are just the right mix for mold to grow on cement.  At least once a year, concrete surfaces need a good cleaning.

Rick cleans the patio blocks that serve as our
temporary sidewalk to the front door.

Notice how the water washes away the black mold
and the white concrete appears.

This morning Rick finished cleaning most of the driveway which also needs a yearly refreshing to remove the black mold.

The fence, too, was badly in need of a good bath.  While Rick took care of the grime and pasted-on grass cuttings at the bottom, I took care of taking a bucket of water and a rag to wipe down the top edge and post tops.  I must admit that I was not thrilled to find the "signature" of many birds who perched on the top of the fence sections!  As it stands now, though, everything is clean and ready for another year.

Our neighbors have a new dog, and we met her yesterday also.  Her name is Morgan, and she seems like a sweet dog.  We never hear her bark, but today while Rick was bringing our garbage can back to the house, he stepped in dog poop in our side yard.  We are not saying that it necessarily came from Morgan, but someone in the neighborhood certainly is letting their dog roam freely.  Last year we had problems with stray cats, and this year we might have a slightly larger problem.  We'll have to watch our yard carefully and to address the issue when we find what creature is causing it.

After lunch today we took a drive south to Sarasota and to Osprey.  Rick needed some new shoes, so he found a New Balance store in Sarasota.  From there, we went to Osprey so he could get a few insulated Turves glasses that he can use outside when he works.  The traffic was horrendous, but we made it back safely.

We are both tired this evening... me, just because, and Rick because he drove so far.  I suspect that this evening will consist of a short walk and a relaxing evening discovering what Rick has taped on TV.  Rain is predicted for the next three days, so that will determine what tasks tomorrow brings.