Yard

I've promised a few to post more photos of the yard.



This is the yard towards the patio



Here is the patio. Slade and I used it for this first time Sunday morning, we were able to enjoy about 15 minutes out there drinking coffee and reading the paper - then life pulled us back inside.



We kept it pretty simple down at the sidewalk - but just having the green, green, thick, grass is such an addition to the patchy lame grass that was there before.



Yard towards driveway (notice seby & zane).



The Obama sign made it. Brad (the landscaper) told me it fell apart when he removed it for laying the sod. He left it on our front steps and SOMEONE fixed it and put it in the grass. Brad thought I did it, I thought Brad did it. Maybe it was the electrician (who is still trying to figure out how to make our old doorbell work!) who fixed the sign. He has a van that is covered with spraypainting of anti-war stuff. This is the front of yard also towards driveway.



This is the other side towards the apartments and our row of trees.



And here is the driveway. Second time we've laid down new sod there.

Now we are supposed to start a little project of tearing off part of our flat roof to repair it and add railings to the make it a USABLE roof deck. That is also where we plan to grow our vegies next year. Slade has been on vegie duty this past summer and his crops both here and at the lake house yielded some yummy tomatoes, and many herbs. Zane discovered basil this year and loves to pick it and eat it. But he thinks it is best with some of daddies tomatoes and some yummy "marble" cheese.



Here is the back patio, notice the new gate going out to the alley (or as Erika calls it , the lane-way) - it had a deadbolt with key entry on both sides. We will get it painted when we do the front fencing this fall. Also notice two new arborvitae's - the previous ones were not happy. We are eager for the evergreen screen to grow in and block the apartment building.



The fountain is looking lovely with all the greenery growing behind it. We added some plants and a fish to the fountain this year. It stops Slade from putting chlorine in the water! I actually like the green algae growth in the fountain, it makes it look old to me. Slade does not feel the same way. The plants and fish are supposed to help keep it from growing like mad.



Here is the shed and parking pad. We had the basketball hoop sunk into the ground - as opposed to the space-taking-up-base we had before. The pool we bought last year at Target. It came out late this summer - two weeks ago. I have been parking on the side street so we have more play area around the pool.



Here is the yard and playhouse. Just last week the whole yard was torn up with trenches this way and that (for the irrigation).

Ok, are you happy now? Enough pictures?

Back to school

Here are Graham & Cody off to their first day of classes at Minnehaha Academy.

Yesterday Graham attended an all-day freshman retreat (9am-7pm!).

They are both very excited about getting back to school.

Next week Seby and Zane both start. The air is feeling a little chilly in the morning - as if we are about to have another change in the weather! I'm not quite ready for the weather change - hopefully it will go slowly.

The sod is finished.

the sod is in, the water is on

The sod!

BEFORE



AFTER




The sod is going in! I can't stay away from the front windows to watch it go from brown to green!

I've been working on this fundraiser - which is supposed to be this Thursday night! But it might not happen. Too little ticket sales. I forgot how much work these events are.

More yard pics when they finish - I can't wait to see the irrigation system running with all the grass in!

Seby is at an away YMCA camp this week and it is amazing the different dynamics between the kids. Zane is not fighting.

Must get back to "work" and help Cody, Graham & Zane out the door. They are going to walk over to the Minneapolis Institute of Art for a little visit and lunch. Soon there will be no noise, except all the workmen laying down the sod!

The Yard ... can you believe it STILL isn't done?????

They are putting down the mulch today and I had to get some pics so that I can remember where all the soaker hoses are in the beds. This path we made out of some of the old marble that was left in the basement - it looks like it was the hold marble from the kitchen. Luckily our contractor kept telling me not to throw it out.

We might get the sod today too. That would be too awesome. It is great having all the irrigation in. Next I am going to plan planting bulbs for the fall.

A friend from the past and lost

A friend from long ago has past away. She had a heart attack and died. The sweetness of it is that she was a woman who lived every single day, truly, lovely, llved. At least when I knew her, oh so many years ago. My friend who told me about it said, "I'll always remember her cackle." And the flood of memories of hearing that cackle were quite amazing. So, Patti - tonight, I salute you and all that you were, and I honor all the many friends we had in common oh so many years ago.

I have to remember the first time I interviewed at Jack Morton - I took a typing test in the room that I think was the room that Dough & Patti wrote in. I took the typing test and Patti took the test when I was finished and brought it to whoever I was being interviewed by (Gil?), ripped it in a few pieces and said "She did great." Well, regardless I got the job and I always thought you were just so amazing. Down to earth, yet on the cutting edge. Quite the combo.

I know a lot of people are talking and thinking of you tonight in Chicago. I join their thoughts.

The days are whizzing by.....

We cancelled our trip to California - I can't even begin to go into it. The thing I'm most annoyed about is realizing how difficult the hiking would of been for me. I tend to ignore my MS symptoms. There are really too many of them and it is quite a downer to focus on it - so my strategy has been to not even think about them.

Slade brought up this point with me recently and I really had to admit that there are more symptoms going on and I should maybe consult a doctor about it. I stopped going to my Neurologist after I took myself off the meds a year and a half ago. I really meant to find another doc - I just haven't even really tried.

So now I'm on the look for an alternative doc who works with MS, should be interesting to see what I turn up.

Because Slade was set to take some time off we took some of the time and went up the lake house. It was really wonderful to be just us there. Watching the boys interact was lovely. With friends and family up they tend not to connect as much. Seby thinks that Cody is a God and he had many days of being attached to his hip. Cody took him ATVing and shot the bow & arrow with him. Seby was loving it.

We played poker almost every night and this year Zane has started to play! He finally agreed to play a hand! Cody spent quite a long time going over the many, many rules of poker. It was amazing to watch Zane listen and figure it out. He got pretty bored with our Texas Hold-Em Tournament the last night - but he did finally pick it up!









Seby & Zane caught a big fish, but it got away -- really!

Here is the video so Seby can explain it.



And here is really the best pic I could get of the thing - see it in the top right corner, part of it, kind of?