Dog Loaf

Amazing weather today - like a beautiful spring day. I haven't felt weather like this in years - yes, even in Hawaii! Sandy was enjoying it, too, as you can tell. She found a dusty spot to roll around in and take a short nap. The photo was taken with my phone which, thankfully, still works after dropping it in water yesterday.

New Umbrella

Here's a pic of the new umbrella. There's a stem poking out, but I fixed that. This is the replacement for the tan umbrella that broke a few weeks ago. Personally, I like the green color better. This one also appears to be made of better materials. Let's see how long it lasts! You can also see that I planted the impatiens that Mike gave us - yes, they're still alive, too! They're in the large pot by the door, which isn't really the best place because the rain beats them up as it falls off the roof there. Oh, that reminds me. The quote for gutters came out to just over 500. That will be an August or September project.

Christina spent her day digging vine roots out of her back yard today. I plan to put some weed killer on our vines before Emmanual covers them up with dirt. Probably will do that on Friday, yes Friday will be Vine Killing Day, wuahahahahaha!

Bird Eggs

Yes the begonias are STILL alive (2 months and counting, it's a record for me!). While I was watering it, I found a nest with some eggs inside. Looks like four or five. So far no actual bird has been spotted in or near the plant, however. I hope the snakes don't find it. Does anyone know what kind of nest/birds this might be?

Dog Sauce

Ok, I saw this in the store and thought they had finally figured it out. We only buy the canned dog food to "wet down" and flavor the dry dog food. It's all about the gravy, right? So I bought this bottle of amazing dog food sauce and went home feeling quite proud of myself. Certainly Sandy will love this!

... she hates it. I have to say that after I took a whiff of it, I would have been surprised if she DID eat it. The stuff smells absolutely terrible. Can't blame her a bit. I tried giving it to her again the next day and she shunned it and me for subjecting her to it.

I think I will contact Iams and tell them how bad this product is... will let you know how that turns out.

Critters

I didn't get a photo of the crispy dead frog in the a/c unit, or of the brown recluse spider that was on the umbrella yesterday, but I did get this shot of the turtle that lives in our backyard. Sandy spotted him for me. I also got a shot of a baby grasshopper on the windshield of the car. It almost looks like a giant grasshopper flying in the sky - ok, maybe I'm a little tired...

Bike Trail Maintanence

A few of the more dedicated guys in the bike club worked on maintaning the New River trail today. They started at 7:30 am, at which time I am still asleep, but I did head out there with my watermelon friend in time to catch them finishing the job. Melon Head was offered up as a sacrifice to those who would risk being stung by hornets so the rest of us can ride the trails. This guy was stung on the lip today. Click on the photo for a better look.

Melon Head

I stopped by the local produce stand on my way home from the Saturday road ride. On the way home, the car gave a warning tone - ding, ding, ding... I could see that the seat belt light was on, but my seat belt seemed to be functioning just fine. The warning tone kept dinging and I couldn't figure out why. Just when I was about to pull over and read the owner's manual, the problem and the solution simultaneously dawned on me. I looked over at the watermelon I had put in the passenger seat. Apparently it was heavy enough to trigger the sensors in the seat. Even more interesting is that the airbag indicator also came on to let me know that the passenger airbag had been disabled. This feature is intended to protect small children sitting in the front seat, but today it protected my precious watermelon. Thank you, Mini Cooper! After latching the seat belt around the "passenger", the seat belt warning light stopped and I was able to drive home in peace - to the sounds of my satellite radio and the wind in my hair. The watermelon doesn't sing, but it didn't seem to mind that I do.

Projects

I'm not sure I ever want to buy a new home again. We've been here for over two months and there is still so much work to do. Clearing the land in the backyard was probably the biggest headache and, even though the vines have been chopped down, they continue to grow back and threaten to reclaim the yard.

Still to do...
Outside:
Return and replace patio umbrella (this weekend).
Hinges and latches on the fence (next week).
Till up the pre-historic-looking dinosaur vines out of the back yard (August).
Put down new top soil and lay sod in backyard (August).
Fertilize and water front yard (now).
Extend deck (September).
Landscaping plants front and back, and patio area for fire pit (September).
Resurface fire pit and buy chairs to go around it.
Inside:
Knobs on the cabinet doors.
Shower door in master bath.
Cable internet/TV/phone (need to complain at town meeting).
Brick steps in garage need repair.
Curtains in all rooms.
China cabinet.
Wall hangings.

Will the Fence ever be done?

Randy and his friend came by on Saturday morning to complete the fence, but... his son was in an accident, so he had to leave. They came back on Sunday to finish the job, but... the latches and hinges still haven't arrived, so they will have to come back AGAIN to put the gates on. Still, they finished putting up all of the vertical boards and for all practical purposes, the fence is done. We got a great price, and there are several boards left over that Lowes will take back for a refund.

Now that the backyard is cleared of vine debris and the fence is up, we can start landscaping.

No More Vines

Emmanuel cleared John's yard today (they are SO happy). As a favor to me for getting him the job, he scooped up all the vines in our yard and dumped them into the gigantic hole he made in John's yard. No more vines! ... for now. I expect we still have a battle on our hands to keep them from coming back. In the photos, note the clean area behind the fence, too.

Fence Halfway Done!

I came home from our 4th of July 40 mile ride to find that Randy and his friend had put up all the horizontal boards of the fence. Looks great!

Fence Posts

The fence posts when up on Saturday - the day of the bicycle crash. Randy and his friend came by just as I was leaving and they worked all morning drilling the holes. They were still drilling when I came home. The cement was the easy part, as they just dumped the dry mix into the holes and then wet it down with the garden hose.

Just thoughts, no pictures

I have a very pale leg, don't I?
Well, it appears that some skin is starting to grow back on my knee, and the cycling club President had an extra wheel he was willing to loan me, so I WILL be riding the 40 miler on the 4th.
Photos were taken of the fence posts going in - will publish them tomorrow.