The Little Things

The last several weekends, Lee and I have finally tackled some of the small things around the house that have been lingering on our "to do" list - like the aforementioned steps. We've planted candytufts in our flower boxes, replaced our old, dirty doormat with a new, clean one. We finally got rid of our dangerous back steps, and cleaned out the bathroom. Today, Lee took almost all of our magnets and pictures off the refrigerator and I cleaned it. What a difference. Getting rid of the clutter makes the refrigerator look much nicer, and actually makes the room feel bigger and brighter. Why didn't we do this before?

Another little step that made a big difference was replacing our backdoor light. It was another of those items I saw when we moved in and planned to quickly replace. Then, it faded into the background and I didn't notice it until we were putting in our new steps. The bare blub rests against the house, and the paint on the house is beginning to crack. I guess it's from the heat of the light which we often leave on all evening. At worst it is a fire hazard; at best it is unsightly.

So for 20 bucks (and a little of Lee's time and labor), we have a new fixture. The old one will hardly be missed in "light" of the new one. Unfortunately you can still see the cracking paint, but perhaps no new damage will occur. Next: repainting the ceilings. Damn leaky roof.