This post is dedicated to brother-in-law Ed, who contributed a lot of help and advice for the deck project (and completed his own much bigger deck project this summer). Thanks Ed!
The first was an overdue shower caulking project: the existing caulk was starting to retract and get yucky in some places. So after a big hardware store shop to get the necessary times, I peeled back all the old caulk, scrubbed the tile and cleaned it with bleach. Then we waited a few days to make sure it was completely dry inside. Then I did the messier-than-I-remembered task of adding in new caulk. Then we waited a few days for it to cure and went back to taking downstairs showers again. OMG, it looks SO MUCH BETTER. I wish I had done this one earlier, I don’t think it needed to wait until the summer for this job.
The deck had not been treated since we got here, and the last owner told us that he usually applied linseed oil treatment to it every summer after washing it. So we took that on, armed with a bunch of long-handled tools we did the recommended steps: Powerwashing, scrubbing with the special wood soap, sanding, and then treating with the linseed oil. This last step took the longest because we needed to have several non-rain days in order for the oil to sink in properly without water spots. It was a lot of physical work, and after the last scrubbing day I just laid on the deck and panted for a bit. Overall the result is a bit underwhelming, but it does seem healthier and hopefully this helps preserve the wood for a bit longer.
We did a few garden projects, but mostly maintenance and some straight-up enjoyment of our perennials.
Some new hostas by the fornt door. The Rhubarb also moved her because it was very unhappy under the oak in the lower garden. 
We planted a polinator meadow over the back lawn! We never want a lawn again, this is great. 
The apple tree is actually doing it this year! 
The raspberries we put in last year are productive, as is the years-old blueberry bush 
The purple pole beans that Elizabeth gave us are making some lil bean pods! 
The garlic Elizabeth planted in the fall did ok.
There were a few good things about having a stay-cation (hemester), including getting to these jobs, but also appreciating the house and yard more by spending some time taking care of it. I was also inspired to get some wallpaper – but that is a rainy day project for the fall.