Backyard Trespasser

So much for our birdseed!

Everything's coming up roses...and petunias...and irises

Vegetable Garden

Memorial day weekend we planted our vegetable garden. Jacob worked hard to dig out the sod and filled the 15 x 15 ft plot with compost & manure. We planted tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, beans, zucchini, and even some broccoli and celery. We'll see how they do as we learn what kind of predators we have around here. So far so good, considering how the temperatures dropped overnight this past week.

It's Electric!

Who is that good looking guy with that environmentally friendly electric mower?

Porch Lights & Basement Windows

Since we just created this blog, there's lots to share about the updates that we've made since November.

Here are the front & back porch lights that we've added with the help of my dad, Louie, the handyman. Also notice the new front storm door--we had to replace the original door, since a winter storm shattered its glass.


















































Here are two of four basement windows that were replaced. One of the original windows had a water pipe feed into the spigot through the window glass instead of the wall, as shown here. Oh and that red handle means that it's winterized. That's right, we can hook the hose up and wash our cars in -20F weather if we desire, without any trouble of pipes freezing. (Thanks Dad!)

Similarly, the dryer vent in a different basement window was fed through the window itself, instead of through the foundation wall. It was replaced with this spiffy new model.

West side garden

This weekend we planted our west side garden bed. It doesn't seem like much but it took nearly two days for Big to clear the bed of grass that was there previously, and dig the 30" wide trench next to the driveway to provide proper pitch for runoff and extra room to walk next to the cars. Our hostas were a little aggravated due to the cold weather transplant, but they perked up today. Our next step is to fill in with annuals (I'm waiting for it to warm up a bit), fill the trench with small stones or pavers, and create some edging. In the meantime we'll stop every time we get out of the car to smell the roses.