Here's what I've been up to lately

Granted, the "before" photo is a few years old. It certainly didn't happen overnight. But the most recent change - painting the garage - did have a major impact. I'm pleased. It's pretty much what I envisioned. Our little sanctuary in the backyard. Still working on getting a bit more privacy from the alley and the neighbors backyard (chain link fence), but I expect to get there before the end of summer.

I'd never really gardened (or landscaped, if you can call it that) before I met Joe. Never had my own yard to nurture. Joe's family has the gardening gene firmly planted, but it's not something I knew much about. So, of course, I set out to learn. And each year I plant something new, dig up something old and move it, trade plants with friends, attempt to grow things from seed, paint something, search for bargains and alternative garden decor. I've received garden gifts from family and friends. Spent countless hours weeding, digging, shoveling pea gravel, and painting. I've hung candles and lit them all just to see what kind of magic candlelight under a night sky can bring.

It's an amazing thing, planting something in the earth and seeing it grow. Yes, the fruits of labor. Watching the bees buzz from flower to flower, enjoying the sweet smell of trumpet lillies on a summer evening. Their scent wafts through the bedroom window at night...intoxicating.

Butterflies frequent the butterfly bush, the birds pick at the sunflowers. Fireflies flit about in the evening above the freshly cut grass. Sounds like a fairytale, doesn't it? Not quite, but close enough, I suppose. It's somewhere to escape to when the day is done.

So, that's where I've been these past few weeks when I've been short on blogs. I'll be back with more soon.

Happy Summer!

Thank you very mulch

Late Saturday afternoon, near the end of the work day at Lighting Accessories, I received a phone call from my husband, Joe. I could hear the panic in his voice immediately and asked what was wrong. There was background noise on the phone. He was outside. "Honey? he asked. Did you order a delivery of mulch?!" I did not, and told him so. I think I would have remembered that.

I asked how much there was. He said a truckload. (Cue hysterical laughter here...) It had filled up my entire car port beside the garage. I wouldn't be parking there when I got home.

He mowed the lawn that afternoon and had gone inside to take a shower. Once out of the shower he was dressing in the bedroom and looked out the window to survey his work, and discovered the delivery. No one had come to the door. No delivery receipt. Nothing. No clue as to where it came from.

I asked him if he was kidding. I very often play pranks on him, this might be a little revenge. No, he swore it was the truth. He's not the best actor, and judging by the sound of his voice, I knew it was authentic. So, I headed home from work thinking about how we would figure out who it belonged to.

I got home and parked down the block and walked the rest of the way home. When I walked into the backyard Joe was standing with the pile of mulch still looking bewildered. "Honey, I said, that's a lot of mulch."

We asked a few neighbors if they had seen the delivery truck. Nope. We walked around it. We took pictures. We determined it was very fresh. Possibly a maple tree. We joked about it being a mob drop and that there were woodchipped bodies buried in there. Okay, that was me. Joe didn't think it was so amusing. We debated how long we would have to keep it before we could start giving it away - we have no need for it. I'd already installed enough mulch this season. We went online and started surfing legal advice websites for information -- would we be responsible for payment if contacted by the deliverer? We have plans for the upcoming weekend, company coming. How would we get rid of all of that mulch by then?

We made a few phone calls. Mainly to share the story, because it's funny. We think. So did everyone we talked to.

After a while we took another walk around the neighborhood. We found the recipients. They live just across the alley from us and weren't home when it was delivered. They were very apologetic. We told them not to worry. They said they would clear it out right away. They did. Joe and I went out for dinner and by the time we got back they had it all moved away. That was a lot of work to do in just two hours or so.

Not the most exciting ending to this story, I know. But for a while it was damn funny. Damn funny. We'll have to keep that in mind. We've been known to pull a prank or two...

The Mourning Dove

I discovered a baby mourning dove today, while working in the yard. He (or she) was relaxing underneath a lawn chair. Waiting for mama bird to come back with lunch, I suppose. Anyway, I was able to snap a few pictures. Here's one...