I just got finished cutting most of the grass and my hands feel like they have springs in them. Took over two hours with a self-propelled mower. My original plan was to get a riding mower of some sort, but I decided to save a little money for right now and instead got a fairly nice Craftsman RWD with key start while it was on sale for $340. I used it for the front yard once before on the mulch setting and realized how much of a pain it is. This morning I decided to use the bag for the whole yard. Three tanks of gas, about six or seven full bags of clippings (filled up especially quick around the magnolia with all the dead leaves) and 22" of cutting area per pass over almost an acre. It would not be anywhere near as bad, but when the moving company came to move the previous owner out their van left tracks in the soft dirt of the front yard. Until I get fill dirt, topsoil and more grass seed, I have to nearly pick up the mower going over these tracks. I am almost tempted to get a Sears or Lowe's card to buy a riding mower, but it is nice being credit-card free.

Spent Monday and Friday afternoon trimming up some trees. I'm still debating over whether or not to trim the magnolia, and I started off Monday removing a branch that snapped during a storm last Sunday. My axe skills were up to par, but I didn't argue with the neighbor when he offered his polesaw. One of those and a chainsaw are high on my list of things to buy. The limbs and branches went into a big burn pile that will be getting lit tonight or next weekend.

Later today or tomorrow the painting will begin. Not a favorite hobby of mine, but it has to get done before the family moves here. I finally got the motivation to buy and install mini-blinds over the past two weekends and install a door between the formal dining room and den, which will be bedrooms for two of the girls.

Anyway, owning a house is hard work. I'm almost wishing I would have gotten one of those new houses with a postage stamp yard my realtor was trying to show me. Over time, though, this investment will pay off in multitudes. My neighbor paid $75k for his house in '93 and it is worth almost $170k now. This house has not been updated since it was built in '81 but the VA still appraised it at almost $15k more than I paid for it. A little updating and maintenance and it should be worth quite a bit more.