things to do in denver
Good heavens, three weeks until my father and notstepmother arrive. SMW said, "Don't clean!" Shyeah. It's bad enough my father will see the state of the backyard and the house not yet jacked up; the least I can do is scrub the house. A lot of this counts as spring cleaning anyway.
Scrub column tops. Plant big pots of flowers.
Bleach or similar to other column tops that pigeons tried to colonize.
Scrub birdbath.
Trim vinca. Transplant some from south to north easement.
Transplant some bishop's weed further back on the north side of the house.
Move the firewood back to the woodpile.
Clean up litter in neighbor's yard where visible from Formigny.
Transplant some thyme from south to north slope.
Spread mulch on front gardens, including sunflower husks. Allow no groundcloth to show.
Bring whatever scrub doesn't work as compost or mulch to Mulchman.
After the wheelbarrowing of mulch and the transplanting of plants and the transporting of bales of peat moss and manure, sweep the walk and vacuum porch and car (and rebelt Banzai).
Uncover and hook up roof-top swamp cooler. Remove window unit.
Unbend screens in the doors. RDC made new screens!
Weed patio and walk.
Empty ash from fireplace. Empty ashtrap.
Hose patio chairs and bathe them in teak oil.
Hose patio table and bathe it in teak oil.
Hose patio umbrella.
Hose buddy rug.
Power-wash and stain interior of back fence.
Amend first and other vegetable gardens with peat moss.
Plant early vegetables, sunflowers, chives, bachelor's button, forget-me-not, chamomile.
Fertilize cherry, nectarine, pear, plum and ash trees.
Hammer a few more nails in the garage for hanging storage, and screw a few more hooks into garage soffits for tomato traction.
Empty yellowjacket traps and rebait them.
Clean up behind garage in alley. Dump baking soda in dumpsters.
Hang birdhouse.
Vacuum upholstery. Oil furniture. Touch up scuffs on trim.
Wash windowwells, front door, and back door.
Buff lamp. (Restoration Hardware should have cautioned it would tarnish.)
Vacuum and dust ceiling fixtures and bulbs.
Scrub Blake's shelf of the television shrine.
Tidy study.
Scrub (white-painted and scuffed) front staircase.
Bring donations to Goodwill (three bags of clothes, curtains, and towels; rice cooker; two sauté pans, double boiler, and small saucepan; assorted sundries.
Replace winter curtains with summer ones.
Tidy furnace room and coal cellar and back of basement.
Find extra keys or have others made.
Plan menus. This will be tricky, mostly because I am not a cook but also because my father is a carnivore and prefers his meat gray. I can reliably cook pasta and I like my meat rare as hens' teeth.
Bake peanut butter cookies. Bake more peanut butter cookies. Bake cherry pie. Stock chocolate-covered blueberries. Make faux Nütella. Hide Haitch's frozen Tagalongs. Improvise Tagalongs for us peanut-butter fiends?
Last minute
Launder bedlinens from mattress out. Air pillows.
Shop for groceries, including flowers.
Also:
Scrub medicine cabinets and other cupboards.
Clean fridges.
Clean lightswitches.
Errands
Home Depot: mulch, peat moss, tree fertilizer. Thingie for porch light so can have outdoor plug. Trellis for beans. More tree fertilizer stakes.
City Floral: annuals, hanging pots.
Petsmart: honeysticks, dishes.
Costco: romano, crab, avocados for guacamole for progressive dinner and crab chowder, toilet paper.
