a correction

tim called my attention to a poor choice of words in a previous post. baby pheasants do not waddle. they scamper/scurry/flit/zigzag/hustle - you get the idea. i told him i would make the correction and while i'm here i might as well post something new....

i finally got around to some concrete work this weekend. i need a few more stepping stones to complete a path to the backyard.
these are drying/curing and will need to be painted and their final coat of sealer. they won't be ready for the ground for another week or so.












i hope to pick up some rhubarb leaves tomorrow and get started with them.



for those who like a little color i'll close with this shot of honeysuckle taken about 7:30 this evening:

let's just say

it's been a very productive weekend

and i'm heading for a nap.

quickly

if all went according to plan yesterday was jacob's last day of servitude in this man's navy.



we're proud that he chose to join, relieved that he's out safely. tim can clearly remember that phone call over 5 years ago when jacob filled us in on his plans to enlist. we're proud of the changes he has committed to and accomplished. he is set to start classes august 31 and will no doubt do well.

making progress

stepping out the gate on our north side this is the view:
pan left.
pan right.
and left again.
when i went to work monday morning the machinery was sitting just as it looked in my previous post. when i came home at noon they already had the first section of concrete in place. by mid-afternoon today they were making preparations for the other side.

i've been remiss

i suddenly realized that with all the constructing going on just outside my windows i haven't shared any of the process since the trees were removed. the rain has made things difficult all the way around for the work crews. one day they actually had a guy with a shovel trying to move water....oh the joys of union job security.
this has been the view from ny back door since thursday evening. they parked there at the end of their work day and because of rain haven't been back since.
i would love to say that they are out there thrumming away for 12 hours a day but i'm never home for a twelve hour day. i can truthfully say that they start at or before 7am and finish for the day around 7pm. with work progressing at both ends of the block i can't be sure how much of the day is spent here.
tim has planted tomatoes and peppers along the edge in the dirt spots created by the tree removal. i'll let you know if they make it. i will say it has been fascinating to watch the precision and skill these big machine operators employ. i will also say that i will be soooo glad when all this is done.

ya gotta love sunday nights

nails are next.

where is everyone!?

none of my regular reads have posted this week!? i don't know what's going on anywhere......



we've been in a rainy spell and will be for a few more days. generally rain over night and clouds all the next day. the floor feels damp. clothes feel damp. everything outside is thick and lush but we need some sunshine.

tim, charlie and i took a drive yesterday. i had worked that morning and came home to plans for the impromptu outing. we took no music with us - just chatted our way through several hours as we wandered through the sandhills. we saw storm clouds gathering and later heard reports of severe weather for that area. we drove home along the dunning to arnold road. a narrow twisting road where a race is held each year. at one point you have canyons falling off on both sides and the expression 'ribbon of road' takes on meaning that only experience can bring.
.
we did pull off at a lake access - following a gravel track back towards pelican, lily, dewey and hackberry lakes. there were several cattle guards - and pheasants!! we saw several pairs and a few single roosters. tim and charlie got out to scent this one. at one point we stopped while a batch (15?) of baby pheasants scampered across the road. a fun afternoon.

surprises

we had several surprises in the last few days.

thursday we were ready for a visit with kate (jacob's request for leave had been denied but plans were already made so....) tim and i are sitting in the concourse at the lincoln airport, the plane has arrived when tim says "hold on - jacob's here" and grabs his phone. kate had called an hour earlier from minneapolis to let us know everything was moving smoothly and tim suddenly remembered that his phone had indicated the call was from jake - not kate. and even though kate does have a reputation for losing/forgetting things - he knew that jacob wouldn't part with his nerve center for a whole weekend. "he has to be with her" i'm intrigued by the idea but unwilling to committ to it. so we wait. and there they are! as naphtali reminded me i don't jump up and down and clap my hands when i'm excited - nor do i burst into hysterical giggles. but i was excited and you could tell. it was a great surprise. we had a short but enjoyable visit including a trip to the zoo where we saw an aardvark being walked on a leash
and a scrumptious dinner at a mafioso restaurant.

the friday morning surprise was no water at the motel. i'll spare you the details.

the saturday morning surprise was finding branches down from our maple tree in the backyard.
a storm system had moved through the area late friday night and the high winds took out quite a few branches around town.
even charlie helped with the cleanup.

reorganizing

this past weekend actually marked the beginning of my summer routine. (memorial day weekend doesn't count)(i traveled so nothing was normal)(and then you return to a short work week etc)we had a productive weekend and i find myself trying to reorganinze my daily routines to reflect a shift in...my daily routines. the library closes early so i am home at 6:00 now instead of 8. the sun shines 'til almost 10. the heat can start as early as 9:00 so charlie's walk has to happen early which had been my computer time. dew and mosquitos keep me out of my flower beds in the morning but working in them in the evening is now an option. see?? everything has to be reorganized, time maximized. and i just want to drift through the summer.....



my columbine have been stunning. i have a "double" which i'll never do again, but its pretty enough in its own way.



the iris have been regal but are fading fast. i moved some plants over the weekend because everything i've used these past couple years has been shade-loving. i have very little shade left with the paving project at full throttle. my salvia has been swarming with bees.