When One Door Closes … and Happy Holidays!
You may remember how for years I’ve been saying that we needed to replace our front screen door, which was perfect for giving people the impression that our house was abandoned. Actually, the whole door needed replacing, as it was designed to ensure that refreshing blasts of arctic air kept the indoors from getting too stuffy.
Well, we have overcome our inertia and finally replaced the front door. The screen door is still to come. I would have preferred a blue or yellow door, but Judy vetoed those options. However, I do think that this light green is an improvement on the foreboding dark green of our old door.
Which raises the question: what to do with the old door? In my mind, its presence invokes the Rule of Garden Art, which maintains that any old object you are about to throw away has potential as an outdoor objet d’art, especially if it’s very heavy.
I kind of like the idea of putting a door somewhere that mixes up the ideas of inside and outside. Ideally, it would have a door frame and could actually be opened, but that is not to be.
So I’ve been dragging the old door around to see if it might become a relatively permanent feature of the back garden.
I’ve tried it against the back wall of the garage.
I’ve tried it against the alley fence.
Now, wherever it ends up I will have to figure out a way to keep it upright. And then there’s the question of whether I should grow anything on it.
Judy, I have to report, is skeptical. She fears it will just look like junk that I was too lazy to haul out to the trash. What do you think?
On another topic, I should mention that tomorrow we are driving to Minnesota where we have rented a cabin that is supposed to have a view of the Mississippi River. We’re looking forward to a quiet week with our boys (plus one girlfriend), with lots of reading, cooking, eating, and game playing. The weather is supposed to be frigid, so I’m not sure how much we’ll get outside, though this is supposed to be a good location for spotting eagles.
I’m sure I’ll do a couple of posts sooner or later to tell you about it.
In the meantime, happy holidays to everyone!
gardeninacity 
Happy Holidays….I think the door would look great with a purple clematis growing up and through its window spilling out…and I would straighten it a bit but not perfectly.
Purple or maybe blue? Something with small leaves?
I’m wishing you all lovely holidays and safe travels!
@ the door – if upright, framed & slightly ajar with a Welcome sign on one side & a Watch Your Step sign on the other, it would be an interesting if quirky bit of yard art.
Happy holidays to you as well! Your idea for the door sounds great, though I’m not sure I’ve got the ability or dedication to put it together.
Happy holiday … Look forward to seeing photos of eagles and/or the Mississippi!
Saw a bald eagle fly by the house today, but it refused to pose!
Keep trying!
Maybe the door just needs a small garden shed built around it. They’re very handy.
Have fun in Minnesota!
A garden shed would surely be useful, not sure I have the space for it.
It might be fun to use the door in place of a gate, but it would need to be framed. If you cut it in half, you could have a “dutch door”. Enjoy your vacation and happy holidays!
Thanks, same to you!
Happy holidays!
Your new door is beautiful. Love it!! 💕
Thanks, and happy holidays to you as well!
Sounds like you have a lovely week ahead-enjoy! Love your new door (listen to Judy on color…)! As for the old door, don’t make any decisions, mull it over for a while (like this next week!) and you’ll come up with something.
I think I’m leaning towards turning it into a work table.
Hmm, have you considered just giving it to Habitat? Love the color of the new door.
That’s not a bad idea.
Happy holidays to you and yours! That door is just begging to go in the garden, either on a garden shed or as a sort of trellis for, yes, purple flowers.
Don’t eliminate your door just yet. You have all winter to think about it. If it doesn’t find a home or you don’t think of something neat to do with it you can always get rid of it. Your new door is quite handsome. I like the color too. I am a little partial to green doors as our front door is green. You will enjoy your holiday time with your children and Judy. Best wishes to you all.
The same to you!
Eagles? gosh, lucky you! We’ve just had a new front door too, and have the old one hanging around. I may try to incorporate it into the garden. I like yours against the wall, maybe build a planter in that triangle and add a trailing plant.
Have a wonderful holiday and all the very best to you and yours.xxx
Or maybe a window box hanging off the top?
Happy holidays! A cabin in Minnesota sounds ideal for a week of indoor activities.
Love your new door, and the colour. Your old door has potential, and would be good framed. I like Bittenbyknittin’s suggestion of sawing in half horizontally for a Dutch door. Good musings!
Happy holidays to you and your family!
That classic door was too nice to replace! I would have kept it attached to the house! Well, too late now. I agree that it should have a shed build around it. I got a door from a classic ranch style home in my mother’s neighborhood, and it was just too nice to throw out, so my Pa build a shed around it. The early American shed looked a bit odd if anyone bothered to notice that the nice door was for ranch architecture, but I doubt that anyone did. Anyway, without a shed attached to it, the door does sort of look like something that has not gotten hauled away yet.
I don’t really have room for a shed. I’m thinking of turning it into a potting bench.
Well, that works too. I build a console (inside the home) of a solid redwood door. After cutting it, I realized that it was a single solid slab that never should have been cut. I do not know how how such a large single slab did not warp.
Love your new door. But I also like the idea of using the old dark green one somewhere in the garden as art. It might help if you add more art to it. I have two old shed doors outside leaning on our fence, you can see one of them in this Pin from one of my Pinterest boards: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/259238522270736010/
Yours looks good against that fence. Judy now informs me she likes ours against the white brick wall of our garage.
I’d take a look at google images or pinterest for ideas about the door. I agree, it would be a shame to just throw it out, and climbing plants would be very grateful! Have a great break in Minnesota!
Good idea. We’re having a nice break.
Gorgeous new door, Jason. The color will blend in beautifully with the garden instead of calling for attention. I like the idea of a planter in the old door. Wait til next gardening season to make a final decision. Have a lovely Christmas with your family. Hope you see some eagles!
We’ve had three sightings, but no photos yet!
Love the new door – style and color. 🙂 I would leave the door until spring and you get to mull over the many ideas. However, if it is ‘very’ heavy I might opt to donate it and get a lightweight wooden one for garden art. Safe travels.
Now Judy says she likes it against the brick wall of the garage.
You could turn the door into a wonderful garden table.
And I really do need one. Right now I work on the pots sitting on the front steps.
Oh, I hope we hear about eagles! Enjoy your winter break with family:^) I like the idea of transforming the door into a work table. You could even take the glass out of the window and put a recycle container underneath. Would be great for potting your tulips.
3 eagle sightings so far, but no photographs.
I love your new door Jason. The old door maybe a wicket in the garden.
May you and your loved ones have a healthy and happy 2018!
Same to you, Nadezda!
I see you got some good ideas for the door, Jason. I personally don’t think it needs to be perfectly upright. Have a great Christmas in the cabin!
Thanks! To be honest, it’s more like a mcmansion, but it’s a great location.
Ha, I am not the most creative person, but that is where Pinterest comes in for the rescue! I’m sure it could look awesome somewhere, as the deep green color would make a great backdrop for so many different colored flowers. Though won’t your house get stuff now without those refreshing blasts of arctic air? 😉 Happy holidays!
Happy holidays to you as well! I really should check out Pinterest, I never use it.
Yes, Happy Holidays. Just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your blog.
Thanks so much, that’s nice of you to say.
Happy Holidays! Enjoy your time in Minnesota. We’ll wave as you drive by (we’ll be heading in the opposite direction toward the Chicago suburbs to be with family). I’m sure you’ll find a creative placement and treatment for the door. Perhaps springtime might be a good time to visualize the perfect place for it? With green and growing stuff around it?
Sounds like Chicago got more snow than Minnesota!
I can just imagine you looking for a spot for the door and Judy grumbling! I like the idea of incorporating it into a gate and growing a vine on it. Happy holidays!
Now she claims she never objected to the door. Rewriting history, if you ask me.
I love the colour of your new door. Have a wonderful Christmas and happy new year. x
Same to you, Sam!
Nice new door. Enjoy your winter break with Judy and your family. Happy Christmas
I agree with Judy. lol
Merry Christmas!
Same to you! Now Judy says she likes the door against the wall of the garage.
Hmmm…I just got rid of three doors that have made several moves with us, waiting for inspiration and the elbow grease to back it up. Hope you have better luck with your art project-in-waiting.
Thanks. We shall see.
Does your garden slope or is it flat? A friend of mine found two old doors in her garage. She didn’t want to throw or give them away, so found an interesting way to use them on the hillside behind her house. I posted photos on my facebook page to show you what they look like.
We’re flat, I’m afraid, except for a slight grade away from the house.
Looks fantastic! And – it will keep your house warm – double whammy! Here’s to a less drafty and far better year ahead!
Thanks! Same to you, Anna!
I’m a huge fan of including indoor “discards” in the garden, although I’ve not done much of that yet. I’m sure you will find a good spot for it somewhere – and remember you can always paint it a different colour…I’m always partial to gray.
Happy Holidays to you and Judy!
Same to you, Margaret!
Your new door looks great! I’m sure you’ll find the perfect place for the old one somewhere in your garden. Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays to you, Rose! From FB looks like you had a great time with your family!
Hello Jason, I’m not sure about the door being in either of those places, if I had to choose, then against the house wall looks better. Could you turn it into a potting table?
I think it’s a little too wide to be a potting table.
Ooh, I like the table idea. Or storage, like a seat/trunk?
Turns out it’s a little wide to be a potting bench. I’m sort of losing my inspiration on this one.