The birds have flown the coop...

Today was the day we all have been anxiously awaiting... and dreading. All three of the kids left home today. 

Byron returned to Boise after a really nice week of having him here, even if I did have to pick up after him a bit. He brought his friend, David, and we really enjoyed having them all here.

Maegan and Conor caught the 2:05 flight to LA through Salt Lake City. Maegan flies out to Australia tonight at 10:30, and Conor flies out to New Zealand at 11:30. Maegan is gone for a year to study abroad at the University of Tasmania in Environmental Studies. Conor is off for atleast 4 months to Snowboard Instructor Training. Both of them were quite excited to begin their great adventures. It is nice that they got to travel together for a small part of the trip.

I watched them until they disappeared through security into the center of the airport. I didn't care that passerbys could see the tears I didn't bother to wipe away. I managed to get back to my car without making too much of a spectacle of myself, but once inside I broke down and bawled like a baby... an unexpected reaction, surprising to no one but me.

My babies are gone. I am so proud of them. This is the moment I have been raising them for, always wanting them to be independent and adventurous. I guess I never envisioned how difficult the end result would be. But a good night sleep will be good for me. Tomorrow is a new day.

Me and Beth

Miss Beth has been visiting from Florida since last Saturday. We have been having so much fun, it is hard to believe it is already Friday... dang. We are right now drinking an Ice Wine she hand-carried from South Africa. Mmmmm.

Front yard progress report

I thought I would show the action rather than talk about it, except to say that the pond stream took more concrete than Kevin expected, so the rest will be done in a couple of weeks. Kevin's partner, Dossa, assisted. They are both expert concrete men.

The bummer was that it started pouring down rain shortly after this was laid down which created some problems, but Kevin successfully fixed them. The good news is that the pond stream doesn't leak.

If you want to see more photos, you can visit my facebook page.

Giving up on grass

We have torn up the front yard for the last time.

Grass just doesn't grow out there, and we are tired of seeding and sodding and trying to make it work, not to mention the task we end up creating by being successful: mowing.

So, we have torn up the front yard. Kevin has laid out a walkway from the street to the front porch, a patio by the pond, and we are adding a pond that will connect to our existing one by a little stream through the patio. It is a cool plan, and I am so excited to see it happen. I thought you all might enjoy seeing the process.

I have already started planting ground covers: a red creeping thyme out under the maple tree. I have a list of things I want to put in the landscaping... all of it will be low-maintenance.

Kevin is pouring a basic grey slab on the walkway and patio. He then plans to stain it, and then he will sandblast it so it looks like slate. So, stay tuned and see our front yard transformed!

Honest Blogger award

I was recently honored with the Honest Blogger award by my friend and co-blogger, Beth, who happens to be an awesome writer. 

My task now is to write 10 honest things about myself, and then pass on the award. So, here goes:

1. I have a short attention span. I often will call someone, and while I wait for them to answer, I forget who I have called.

2. I process information slowly. I am pretty sure I got this trait from my dad. When listening to folks, I can only take in so much information at a time. If the person I am listening to goes on too long, I mentally check out. Most of my friends seems to recognize this, and when they see my eyes glaze over, change the subject.

3. My favorite time of day is the early morning. I am my most creative from about 1 a.m. to about noon. Once I get going, I can be very productive all day, but I cannot start my day late and get a lot done.

4. My favorite month is September. I do love August, because that is the month I was born, and I do celebrate myself all month long, but just for the beauty of a month, I love September. The nights start to get cool. The days are beautiful. The tourists leave, and you can drive in downtown Coeur d'Alene without getting pissed off at some bozo from somewhere else.

5. I love my husband. He drives me crazy a lot, but he is a good man.

6. I love my children and am so proud of the amazing people they are becoming.

7. I hate an unmade bed. I even make my bed when I am at a hotel. So if you are ever at my house and see my bed unmade, you know I am indulging in the ultimate laziness for me.

8. I was not very nice to our dog, Jack, for too many years, but am trying to make up for it now since we got Rylee.

9. I am an aggressive driver, and get really vocal in the car sometimes when I am behind an idiot... another trait that reminds me of my dad.

10. I am a wine snob... very picky about the whites I drink. I love a buttery, smooth, oakey chardonnay. When it comes to reds, I am more adventurous.

11. I know, I am adding one more, but this one is important: I will be 50 this year. I have been noticing other folks who are turning 50 this year, and I am pretty sure I look younger than all of them.

And then, drum roll please, I would like to honor my friend, Nancy, with the Honest Blogger award. Her blog is full of wonderful photos, and I think she is pretty dang honest. You can check it out at her blog spot.

Thanks to Beth for this honor. I have to go make my bed.

A little rain, a lot of blooms

As summer approaches, I am struck by how unusually nice spring has been once it finally decided to arrive. The last two weeks have been warm, green, and delightful for anyone who loves to be outside. Our temperatures have exceeded the norm, and the flora is bounding to life, growing amazingly fast (including the grass that we have mowed already about 6 times).

My garden this year is already bountiful, and it is only early June. I have harvested radishes, kale, collards, tons and tons of lettuce, swiss chard, and snow peas. Everything looks so healthy and hearty.

Today's rain is welcome. Not just by the thirsty plants outside, but by me who has spent so much time outdoors in the sunshine, I haven't gotten enough work done inside. 

New grass

We had an unexpected surprise today... a friend of Kevin's had too much sod for a job he was doing, and he gave it to us. We didn't expect to be working in the yard today. In fact, it was supposed to rain, and we thought we would be indoors. But that was not to be the case. We quickly had to prepare the part of the yard we could for the sod, and then we laid it all down. Dang, it looks so good back there!

Rylee says "oh yeah! more places to poop!" He was out there helping every step of the way.

The old shed is almost gone... mostly torn down. We still have some work hauling stuff to the dump, but soon, the backyard will be nice all the way around.

Now to get working on the front yard. We killed all the grass (on purpose) to put in lots of ground covers... the steppable kind... and pathways and rock gardens. Whew. How nice when it is all done. I wonder when that will be...

Short, sweet, and to the point

I like this quote:

"All power corrupts, but we need the electricity."

followed by

"We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems."

Thanks Google...