First Day of Summer

Yesterday, Dennis decided to deal with the hornets in the large tree by the bridge with a combination of wasp spray and sealant foam...and when that didn't work, he set a fire in that old hollow tree to smoke them out.

This morning, the tree was still burning. We were blessed with no wind, so he decided the tree had to come down right away.

He debated the logistics of taking down a burning tree, and decided to dampen the fire first.

Then he hooked a chain to the tree...and a rope to the chain...and the tractor to the chain.

AND THEN, he said, "Maggie isn't here."

SO!?

Yep, I drove the tractor for the first time in my nearly 46 years.

Man, is our yard a mess! And he created some chainsaw work for himself. Well, he always needs something to do...

Yay, summer is here. Felled a tree before breakfast. What are you going to do today?

Another week bites the dust...

I am definitely a person who blogs without guilt (consider the three year lapse I've just recovered from), but I did have high intentions of this being the Summer of the Blog. Instead, this has been the summer of the home improvement projects...too busy to type for the last few days!

I have redeemed a lime green bedroom (new bedding and curtains, art on the walls!) with a shiny new khaki paint scheme, carried the extra paint over into "Dudley's second bedroom"...a room that had beds in it, but had primarily been used for storage. Yes, my Christmas decorations were in there until MAY this year. That may be a new personal record. And, I did my own version of "Design on a Dime," Millsap-style, where we moved all the furniture in the house around for a nice face lift.

We also worked on the front landscaping, adding another row of bricks to the infrastructure ($1.86 each at Lowe's), spread loads of mulch, and used the tractor to remove the scraggly, nasty cedar-ish shrubs from the front beds. Dennis even removed some of our azaleas that were azalea trees, and stranded in the middle of the yard after Hurricane Irene removed their large oak shade trees.

I did make that list, and find it daunting. It's not prioritized, and I want to put budgets of both time and money beside each item so that we can squeeze in the affordable options in a reasonable manner around our play time this summer.

Speaking of playtime, we have visitors arriving tomorrow! My sister, her hubby and my favorite twins are all arriving for a weekend at Aunt Lori's! I can't wait. We had a speedy visit during baby shower weekend in November, but this should be leisurely and fun-filled, with no "official" reason for the visit other than LOVE.

All in all, a good week. Even if I never got a chance to sit down and think about it while I was busy doing it!

See you next week...gonna be busy again for a few days.

Lazy days of Summer

I know that I shouldn't rely on this pace for the summer, but WOW, have I gotten a lot done this week! Priority rooms in the house for this week...guest rooms. Repainted Maggie's old room from shocking lime to khaki. Tomorrow I will tape and paint trim. Then I will paint the other guest room the same shade...it's never been painted. New bed, new linens for one room, and I think I will repaint the furniture in the other room. Finally, I have yards of binding to stitch. I finished three quilts in three days. Another goes in the frame tomorrow! Projects galore!

360...

Three hundred sixty is a great number. Degrees in a full circle, it is divisible by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 24...it's a lovely number. So useful mathematically. For weirdos like me that think in numbers, read them like words, and appreciate their beauty, 360 has a special place. So, it is not lightly that I invoke a 360. Time to make a circle...back to blogging, back to order, back to a harmony with my inner and outer life. Coincidentally, also 360 days to prepare for my younger daughter's wedding. Here, in my house and backyard, my baby will be a bride in less than a year. So, with an entire circle's worth of seasons to navigate between now and then, a lifecycle of a school year, a host of holidays, and 360 days to do it, here we go. I finished two secret projects (to reveal next week), and am moving on to building a list. Inside projects, outside projects, seasonal projects, wedding projects...lesson plans, exercise plans, diet plans. Thank goodness for 360. It's a great number.