Organized Confusion

With three sheds to fill, we have been busy in the garage finally getting our possessions organized.

The saw rests on the board that Rick cut to size
to fit in the shed.

Before we could put anything in the sheds, we had to buy solid wooden floors for them.  The floors that came with the sheds are just molded plastic, so any weight on that structure would eventually puncture the floor and allow water to seep in.  So off to the store we went for wood for the floors.  We purchased a waterproof deck paint, and Rick soon had two coats of paint on all sides.  Once they were dry, he put them in each shed.

We wanted to get the shelving units out of the way, so in the first shed on the north side of the house, we put in a half-high shelving unit to hold all of the boxes that contain our plumbing, electrical, painting, sanding, plastering, gardening, etc. supplies.  These are the items that we may have to readily access, so we wanted to keep them close at hand.  When we want something in the future, remembering where we put it may take some thought.  We truly have just created organized confusion.

In the second shed, we put in the large items: the cement mixer, the power washer, and the wheelbarrow.  As time goes on, we certainly may add to that stash.  Chris already warned me to save room for the paver saw!

The sheds start to fill as we try to decide where to store items.

In the third shed, we have the other half of the shelving unit.  That shed stores the things we occasionally use like the leaf blower, the insecticide sprayer, and other occasionally used items.  Having the shelving units disassembled or moved to the sheds freed up lots of space in the garage.

Rick hangs the mechanism to support his bike.

The result?  The bikes are hung out of the way.

A part of the new garage design centered around Rick's workbench at the back of the space.  We originally had his bike hanging in that area, so yesterday he cut new 2 x 4s and moved his bike so that it would hang next to mine when we want to store them.  Now the area above the freezer and the workbench are free of overhead items.  We still will get the bikes down and store them on the floor for most of the time that we are down here so we can readily ride them, but for now we have too many projects to ride, and they are best out of the way.

A new flower in the pot adds a little color to the porch.

In an effort to finish the look at the front of the house, we went out yesterday and Rick bought me some Valentine's Day flowers to plant in the new porch pot.  We bought two Queen Kalanchoes.  They have dark, shiny leaves and will bud with orange flowers.  I probably should have purchased the red variety to better match the red Ti plants and the reddish crotons in the front garden, but these will have to do.  The crotons also have orange in them, so I hope the kalanchoe plants blend well.  We'll see.

Gladys shows off her flowers.

I am sure that the plants will not survive the summer in the containers unless we have a very, very wet summer, so I will enjoy them while I can.  I said at least four years ago that the little freesia plant that I stuck in a pot would never survive, and it is STILL growing and multiplying quite nicely, thank you.

This is Florida, so one never knows.  What grows, grows.  What doesn't won't be planted again.  For now, Gladys has a nice flower on her front porch to share with the world.