Gas Prices

It's a good thing to get out once in a while. I'm staying at home so much I might have missed this.
The last time I bought fuel for my car, I paid twenty cents more. This is great.
Is it a last reprieve before we pay much higher prices forever? The cost here used to be significantly less than, let's say, Europe's prices. But no more. We pay about the same now. (Keep in mind that I remember paying $.19 for a gallon of gas.)
We'll have to wait and see how long this holds.

Summer Living

I have moved. To the outside.
With the patio project complete, the weather very nice, there is no point to being indoors. I pretty much live out there now. I have Harry Potter, some knitting, Pepsi.
I come inside to get food, load the dishwasher, and sleep. It will be over all too soon.
So today I'll cut our grass, visit a grocery store, maybe wash my car, and soak up more vitamin D.

More gardening Projects

Suzanne had asked me to redo the area in front of her house. Bermuda grass had swallowed the flowers.
We hate Bermuda grass!
So I'd come up with a plan, purchased the materials on her ticket, put in three hours of effort and, voila, spruced up front yard. The youngster got to help: dead heading with real scissors, digging and filling the green toter. (Garden recycling container) She got to spread the mulch from the Camphor tree, which smells wonderful. We replanted a large pot and delivered those I'd taken to my house to redo.
So it's done and looks nice.

It's Done, It's Done, It's Done!

So this is what it feels like to move a couple of tons of gravel, sand and bricks. My hands ache from lifting twenty pound pavers into place. And I had help! Lots of help. Thanks Ray and Shel. As can be seen, some work around the grass edge remains to be done. Small stuff compared to this.
We are very happy with the result. Such an improvement.

Photo Updates

Suzanne made me promise to post some photos next time I write. So go back some blogs as I've added some all the way to the Quincienera.

I've added three more rows of pavers, all the way to the 2x4. And it's framed now on the far side. I need more sand and a few more pavers. Tomorrow, tomorrow! I'll be glad to get the extra soil put away, now it's just piled by the post in the middle of the photo.

I made a Black Forest Cherry Torte for the child's birthday. That's the kind she wanted and it turned out quite well. Clearly her dessert stomach had been empty as she was able to consume a sizable piece.

Azi's Routine

Schedule for Azi: Meal #1 at 6am.
Hang out with humans, police the kitchen floor periodically during the day.
Meal #2 at 6pm.
After that, dive under a cover on the couch and sleep. Come out only if someone is puttering in the kitchen, they might drop something.
When the favorite human goes to the bedroom, follow, crawl into bed, under the cover.
Always under the covers.

Running

Well, I haven't actually been running, but I feel like it.
The nasty Liquid Amber tree took two days to be gone. On the first day it was so hot, and it got late. (It had been a taller tree than the Sequoia next to it!) So they cleaned up the neighbors yard, and finished the trunk and grinding on our side yesterday. The guys start at five on these hot days, so by four in the afternoon they are tired.
We are making progress on our patio. Nearly half the stones have been put down. We need more sand, which I will get by the bag. It wouldn't be worth it to buy another yard and pay for delivery. Besides, bagged sand is finer, preferred to finish this job.
Our house smells nice as I just finished baking the birthday cake. I will fill and decorate it tomorrow morning.
Then Michelle takes over the kitchen to make the chicken pot pie.