Waiting Game

The backhouse is finished with the exception of the cabinet to cover the small refrigerator and the lights on the outside. We dug the 2 ft. trench to lay the electric lines (actually Clint dug the trench! - digging by hand thru the underground sidewalk we didn't account for!) and Clint rented a bobcat to pull up the back patio and steps. He was so great to give the kids rides on the bobcat...he even let them drive! They loved it! What a fun memory to have.
So, the inspector came to inspect the trench before TXU came and decided that it needed to be dug 2 inches deeper. SO, all the pipe and wire that had been laid had to come out and the digging started again. Then, the waiting game began...waiting on TXU to come in the midst of storm restoration. The days turned into weeks until finally we decided to go ahead and start the back patio and fireplace.
Fun! This actually something tangible that will be finished in a couple of weeks. I went to meet the landscaper at the stone place and tagged the exact stone that I wanted. Since I didn't want anything copied from a picture - we had to draw out what I wanted....a mix of Arkansas moss stone with old bricks pulled up from the driveway and exposed mortar. I also asked for an inset arch of bricks to hang a cross and a rustic piece of wood for the mantle...oh, and a hearth!
I am so thrilled at how it turned out. The guys working on the project are really talented - it was amazing to watch them pull it all together.
I came home yesterday to check in and Clint said he found my mantle when he went out for lunch. It looks so neat - its actually a rail road tie with a stake driven through the middle. The wood seperates quite a bit so we can grow moss in the cracks. Clint and I want to try a recipe we have heard about for growing moss - I will let you know if it works! The masonary guys placed 2 stones sticking out to place the mantle on. Clint is going to notch out the wood and place the mantlr flush with the stones.
We have gone round and round on where we would put the grill and what that would look like.
So, we have decided to wait until the pergola is built and the house is finished so we can make a better decision. It would be nice to have it for the summer, but it is an expensive mistake to make if we don't get it right. And it would be nice ot actually buy the grill on sale after the season. Plus ,the original spot we had maked for the grill is now going to be my outdoor bed! I woke up inthe middle of the night dreaming about this cool bed we could have outside by the fireplace...I hope I can pull it off! I haven't gottent eh courage up to ask Clint if he will make the bed. Maybe he will read my blog and offer!