Don't want to bug the heck out of you good people, but I thought some might find it interesting what caring and improvement in one's financial circumstances can do, no govt help except did start drawing a small monthly amount of ss on my ex's (I never paid enough in, worked mostly for govt, but sure had to work my tail off to survive and support my young children as a divorced mom). It was family money and trying again that enabled me to get to this point, much yet to be done, can't afford it all at once.

I will have lived in this same house for coming up 40 years in Dec, always hung on by a thread because I knew it had potential. And I did get my trees and lilac bush planted and learned to do my own basic yard work because I do love beautiful yards and homes like others around here.

Here are my steps and the part of my house you can see as they were for most of those years, more than I want to remember. I was too discouraged (and poverty-stricken) to even imagine that I could do most of this myself and finally had the time, financial resources (no home improvement loans), and will to try again, one baby step at a time. My neighbor who is an artist fixed my front stoop that had fallen apart as a favor and super cheap, I mean $50 for labor and materials. That one act of kindness, gave me such a lift, I wanted to try again. No matter how much I've accomplished, nothing is ever perfect, and I have to face that. He is flabberghasted when he sees the changes here now.

The back steps on May 25, 2006, didn't want the kind you can buy ready made. I took the photo to post asking for advice on concrete work, didn't know about this website then.

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Here are the steps as they are now with the hosta, the arbor, and my son had the house painted last year for me and put in a new furnace and central air. The rest I've done or had done or contracted myself.

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