Deck, Deck, Zuke!

The deck that extends from our back door is in dire need of repair. Initially, I had a contractor build it out of pine and leave the finishing to us. Daniel was sure it didn’t need to be sanded, as was suggested, before using just two coats of deck paint to seal and protect the deck. Over time (four years,) the paint has peeled, and the wood has become chipped and splintered. It’s time to repair.

We decided to replace the pine with Trex decking, the material we used on our pergola. It requires minimal maintenance and no refinishing or painting, which is perfect for our lifestyle. (Not lazy, just rather be doing other things).

We planned to have the materials delivered last week, which would have been perfect because the weather was cooler. As luck would have it, Daniel had a minor procedure that included some stitches in his back, so he could not lift anything. The delay has landed the job for a week when the temperatures will be in the miserable plus zone.

We plan to do the deck in stages: a few planks off, new planks installed, and repeat. We shall see how this plan works as I recall my father’s philosophy on plans: “Man proposes, life disposes.” Daniel has already noticed that many screws may have been shredded during installation. Removing them won’t be as easy as he had expected or hoped; he may need another tool and another trip to Home Depot.

During this process, I will continue to traipse up and down the deck hundreds of times, picking tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash, which is on overload. I am sure I will be in his way. He will be cranky from the heat, Mugsy will not understand the deck’s temporary reconfiguration, and the zucchini will rot because I won’t want to be in the kitchen to make zucchini bread. It’s too close to the deck, and the thought of listening to the drills, high-pitched screws going into Trex, cursing, and hammering is not appealing.

We were “gifted” some freshly caught bass, plums, apricots, and cherries, and while I am avoiding the kitchen, I selfishly hope Daniel won’t be too tired to make a good bass dinner and fruit tarts. Since we already ate the cherries and half the apricots, time is of the essence.

In the garden, the yellow squash hiding behind the butternut and spaghetti squash plants seems to be on hiatus right now. We had a few very large ones, now: nothing. However, tomatoes planted and volunteered continue to produce. I have no idea what kinds many are. We’ve already frozen enough tomato sauce to last until next century. The lemon cucumbers I planted this year are very prolific. I also replanted Armenian cukes that last year didn’t stop, and we had about twenty large mason jars of pickles. Although we have none to eat or pickle this year, we have over twenty pounds of cabbage curing in the cellar; sauerkraut anyone?

I learned another “city girl” garden lesson this year. If you dead-head sunflowers, new flowers bloom. Wow! They keep on blooming, and the birds keep swooping in to get the seeds.

In bird news, the wild turkeys are back. I’m happy they’re here and happier they have stopped landing on the trellis above our pergola. Regal as they look, I was tired of cleaning their droppings. It is my plan to keep the pergola and new deck a “bird-dropping free zone.”

Yes, Dad, I know, “man proposes… “