Dog Room

Our garage is a cold and breezy place. The dogs had a large "Dogloo" dog house, but it's not large enough to sleep both of the girls. So Michelle and I collaborated on a design, went to Home Depot, bought supplies, had them cut the plywood and hauled it home. Eighteen hours later, with much supervision from the dogs, a bit of caulking and paint, we have a wonderful, large enough place for the dogs to be comfortable. The lids is removable but serves as a work surface if needed.
I'm glad we planned ahead in getting this ready, it already gets pretty chilly at night here.

A Job for Super Couple

And a big hand for the Super Couple, Michelle and Ray!
Now you see "it", now you don't. The rail road tie that was standing in our yard for many years is out. Its original purpose long forgotten.
Michelle dug a deep hole around it over the course of a few days. And while I took care of some town business they took it out. What a surprise. It looks lovely, not being there.
A big, Big, HUGE thank you to you two! Well done.

Fall (Poof) House Maintainance

So today Michelle and I got around to cleaning out the rain gutters on our house. I think we'd skipped last year. We got lots of fodder for the wheeled compost bin. The downspouts had been covered over with debris.
Here's the exiting part. So much of the fill were leaves and seed pods and twigs from the two trees we've had cut down this year. So we will never have to take out loads of that stuff again. Unless we put it off for ten years. Which we won't.
We're ready for the rain, our winter.

(Poof)?

I like how Suzanne just poofed her way to autumn.
Not so fast however, because (poof) we're back in summer!
Those that know me, know that summer is the best season for me. So. I'm hoping for a warmish autumn.

Back to Normal

Oh, what fun it is to be back home pursuing routine activities.
Oh, what fun it is to be part of a family celebration.
My cousins daughter was married to a very special man this weekend. She is a wonderful woman in her own right. I am glad I was part of it. With a front row seat, no less. The bride's uncle came from Germany, to represent the German "Clan". Her father's clan was in full attendance. I think the gathering continued to Sunday. I took the Uncle, my cousin, home with me for a few days. We walked from the estate's pool house (oh yeah, some pool house, pictured above) to the car for some minutes on an unlighted road, no moon, by the light of the cell phone. Down hill. (Yes, I took off my high heeled shoes.) By midnight we were home from the wine country.
I had planned to show him some things in Sacramento, but he wasn't feeling well and we spend the time at Urgent Care. He was cheered when Dr. Mueller showed up and they chatted, in German, about a recent vacation in Normandy. Dr.Mueller's mother is French. Small world, after all.
I took my cousin to see my friend, (and travel companion to Germany,) in the foothills. She fixed yummy dinner, got reacquainted with him and showed her lovely property.
So now my gentle cousin's gone again, on the bus to San Francisco.
So, things are kind of back to normal, but I rather miss my cousin, after all. Everyone should have relatives like him.

Project, Sort Of

There is a sign on my kitchen door that states: No more projects in '07.
I've not been happy with my desk set up. I want to dispense with the too small table that gets cluttered, looks messy, and leaves my printer on a box on the floor. Having mulled that over for a bit I remembered the really nice table top I have been storing for years.
So I checked the Minwax website for the pros and cons of the different furniture refinishing products. I stripped the top and just stained it. It looks great. Matches the furniture in the photo very well. (Although it's much blacker without a flash, in natural light). Then a couple or three layers of poly and I will be a happy girl. The legs will come from IKEA, I'm leaning toward the bent wood which I will spray black. I will build a small shelf/table on rollers to hold the tower and printer, and it will hold the gathered cords as well. Also black.

But first I'm off to Napa for a wedding, after which I might bring one of the guests home with me for a few days. I'd like to show him the State Capitol in Sacramento, it's quite a showplace.

Old Age is Hell

I have a neighbor who is ninety-three years old. She lives with a dog and cat. She generally minds her own business, and is very quiet. So I wondered what she was doing sitting outside of her tall wooden fence, in a lawn chair, in the heat. About noon she ambled over, having waited for me to get up. (I'd been up for hours.) Her car won't start and her phone isn't working(?), could I call her insurance company, AAA, and have them come and fix her car. She wants to drive to Oregon.
I use my card for road service. They arrive shortly. Nope the battery is fine. I suggest they take her car to the garage that works on my vehicle, as they are open. Yes, they'll try to get it back today.
It's hotter still and she's back in her lawn chair on the dry grass. She returns over here after a bit. Where is my car, she asks. They said they'd be back with it in thirty minutes.
No, they are not bringing it back. We will get it after they call to let us know when they have repaired it.
Still going to Oregon, you know!
About four o'clock and ninety dollars later the car is repaired. It seems she has a rodent problem and the beasties have been enjoying bits of her automobile. In addition there was no fuel! Probably evaporated, or a well placed bite from a rat handled that. She insists that someone syphoned it out. The mechanic says he doesn't recommend driving that car to Oregon, but she says she's driven much worse. So she loads up the dog, locks the house, and hopefully she's save with her family by now.
I worry about all the other travellers on the road when she takes these trips. I have never encountered her in traffic so I really don't know how well she drives. In any case I'm not going north. But aren't there many other old drivers who should give it up for the well being of others.
And when will I reach that point?

Yard Stuff

My previous entry did not cool Suzanne down at all. It's still hot. A couple more days of over 100' still coming. So I went out in the yard on Wednesday and worked for three hours. Couldn't put it off any longer. I used all my garden toys and made the property look pretty.
I am having a hard time beating the dogs to the raspberries. They are much more vigilant and beat me to the harvest.
Then I had a tomato ripening. A lovely pink tomato. Surely they won't see it hidden under some vine. What was I thinking? The tomato's gone as well. I mean, really! I already plant them in pots in an out of the way spot.
Next year I need to rethink my garden space for edibles. We used to have an enclosure for the dogs. I want to make an enclosure for the garden instead.

Because I've been spending so much time outdoors, I've neglected the inside of my home and today is the day I will fix that.
So, I'm through procrastinating and get to it.