Wow, almost two years...

I have no hope of anyone reading this on an active basis, but I have randomly visited this blog to realize it's been two years since I've written anything on it. These two years are almost the exact equivalent to the day of the time that's passed since I moved to a new house - for the first time a house, with a yard, instead of an apartment.

It's a beautiful experience but, boy, it keeps you busy. 

So here are some conclusions I've drawn since I've started living here:

1. Living in a house is an ongoing work. Even if I had all the time in the world, it would still probably take years to do all the things I want to do around the house and yard. As things are right now, where I have a job and a child to take care of, it will never be done. 

2. Especially with the whole COVID-19 crisis that we are still in the middle of, having a yard is wonderful. I have the possibility to breathe fresh air without having to pack for a trip. I was fortunate to find a house in an area that is not extremely populated and so I still have some space (which, to me, is very important).

3. Puppies chew on trees, dig out the seeds you plant in your garden and poop everywhere. If you want to have a decent looking garden, keep puppies away from the flowers and trees (fence them).

4. Quality of soil is important. Mine was yellow and clayish and I was unable to grow anything properly in it till I brought better soil.

5. Neighbours are very important. I was fortunate on that account.

6. The good tools may seem expensive, but the cheap tools will get ruined fast and cost you more in the long run. See my Quality vs Quantity post.

7. People to help you around the house and actually know what they are doing are extremely hard to find and are extremely busy. Hang on to your handyman contact list. It will be useful forever.

8. A nice view comes with a high heating bill.

9. Trees take years to grow. Buy a house that already has grown trees around otherwise your yard is useless in summer months.

10. Even if you have nothing when you move in, plan for as much storage space as possible.

I do not regret my choice, not for me and definitely not for my child who will have a much nicer childhood here than he would have had in any apartment building. But two years literally just flew by and for the life of me I can't remember what I spent all my time doing - and my yard still looks like I just moved in. At the same time, the life before the house seems like a dream and I can't remember what it was like.