God's Landscape

Butterflies and lilacs.

Good morning son! Another gorgeous day here in Troy. I'll bet those pearly gates really have a sparkle to them. Do you miss the seasons in heaven; no snow, rain, Fall leaves? Of course that also means, no cleaning gutters, shoveling snow or raking leaves so I guess there is an upside.

It's been yet another busy week. It is so great to be able to be outside in the sunshine to work in the yard. Just about the time we get it the way we want it it will probably be winter again but so what, we're having a wonderful time. You would have laughed your head off yesterday. Along our back deck we have many fern coming up. I decided before the kids get back there and trample them all down I'd transplant them for our porch and deck. Dad found me several pots in the basement. We both thought, and I know we did but can't find it, brought a shovel with us when we moved. I couldn't find it and I think Tom (the landlord) probably has all of his in the garage here. So, being the resourceful person that I am, I headed to the kitchen to get a long handled serving spoon! Well, what else was I going to use, a stick? I managed to dig out five of the small ones. I think I'll go borrow a shovel from Jon this morning. Needless to say, digging like that, I had charlie horses most of the night last night. Sure was gratifying though to get them planted.

I've almost finished my garden chair for the porch. Remember that high chair that Rita and

My garden chair...almost there!

Morris found for me at the Habitat Store in Eugene? Of course I brought it with me. How could you even think otherwise. I'm going to make a sign out of the high chair tray and a plant stand, as I said, for the front porch. I'll finish it up today and dad will add the gloss sealer and it will be ready for the porch. 

Did I tell you about the very nice, reclining, leather couch dad found at the Habitat Store week before last? Well anyway, we rented a trailer and went over this last Wednesday to pick it up. Of course they loaded it for us. And with recliners on either end it is NOT a light weight couch. It fit the 4x7 trailer perfectly. When we got home we moved our current couch out on the front porch. I vacuumed and damp mopped where the couch was going to sit and brushed down the cobwebs. We could do that with cobwebs every day around here. They are the busiest little creatures at night! Dad backed up the trailer up to the front porch and put the tailgate down. Just about that time Ethan, from the third floor came home. He'd told dad earlier that he would help him move it so that worked out perfectly. Ethan got in the trailer and dad got on the tailgate end. Umph! They stood there for a minute and the, umph! Have I said this couch was very heavy? The couch we had at one time with recliners in either end was simple to move. The back sections of the couch unlocked and slid off so we just turn the couch on it's side to move inside and then reattached the backs. This couch the backs were stitched in place. I wasn't going to mess with stitched leather. They got the couch out and onto the porch. As I sat there looking at it and the door of this house built in the 1800's I thought uh oh! You guessed it. The landlord has "jeri-rigged" that front door with 2x4s, 1x4's, shims and everything else which took up about 1 1/2" of width. Well, there we set with two couches on one porch

. Ethan needed to get ready for work and so we decided to take a break and "think" about this predicament. Over lunch dad and decided that dad would call and tell them we couldn't get it in our house and we were bringing it back. It was already 3pm and we had to have the trailer back by 6pm. Habitat didn't answer the phone. Sometimes they're so busy they just can't. Dad called again and left a message but no one called. As the clock made yet another circle we decided we had to make a decision. So, I said, Let's load the couch back into the trailer and take it back. You can talk with the manager and if he doesn't want to take it back we'll just 're-donate' it and they can unload it and we take the donation for taxes!". So, here we are, trying to shove this monster white whale back into the trailer. It argued, dad said "PUSH"! I did, and he went sailing. If he'd been back another three inches he would have gone flying over the end of the trailer. We were laughing so hard it took a while for dad to tell me his foot, yes, of course the one attached to his bad knee, was trapped under the couch. I still don't know how I did it, but I lifted that couch by myself so he could pull his foot out. Nothing broken but the next day we did end up at the doctor's office just to make sure. 

 Well, to make a longer story shorter, the manager said, as he was point to the very large sign that read, ALL SALES FINAL, MEASURE CORRECTLY, "Ill let you trade for something else but I can't give you your money back". Made my day! Dad and I decided to do the exchange for something half the amount and donate the rest to Habitat because they had already moved that monster once and now they were going to have to do it a second time. As it turns out, someone bought the couch again before they got it off the dolly. Hope they measured right!!  

Last night Josie, dad and I had a "date night". Dad cooked dinner and Josie and I built a fairy

Josie building her fairy garden.

garden. Actually, I dumped the dirt in the container and she did everything else. It was so great to be out on the front porch in the sun and working in the dirt. A couple of years ago I found a doll cradle somewhere and it was in pretty pad shape. My intent was to redo it for Josie's classroom. Somehow the school year was gone and I still had the cradle. I though it make a very cute fairy garden container. I had plants, rocks, moss, bark, "fairies", "water", dirt, spade, rake and water can. Yesterday I pulled the cradle out and low and behold, I forgot I had never replaced the bottom! Yikes! So, your resourceful dad went downstairs and crafted a bottom for the fairy garden container. After dinner Josie and I headed to the front porch and as the sun was setting we laughed, joked and she created as I watched. She used the blue rocks to create a "lake". By the time she was finished the fairy garden was sitting in a "lake". I gave her the option of making her own fairy house for her garden or of taking her pick of the collection I have. She decided to pick from what was already done. (She painted one later and a birdhouse as well.) She picked a blue one with a door shaped as a heart and proudly took it out and added it to her garden. She did an amazing job. It turned out so cute and we had a great time . We were still painting when Jon and Corey came to pick her up. Now she has decided we need to make one for each of her teachers before school is out. Guess we'd best get busy this week!

While we were on the porch last night we sat and watched and seven deer crossed the property and headed up the hill to bed for the night. They are so beautiful and it's amazing to see them casually meander across the property as if they don't have a care in the world. At one point Jamison barked and they just turned around and looked at him and continued to graze their way up the slope.

Why not dream big!

I just feel as though this is a very special time in my life and our lives together your dad and I. It's becoming a time to really enjoy nature around us. I don't remember ever really being that interested in yard work and gardening. I always did it because we had to, but for some reason this year it has more meaning and enjoyment. I'm looking for more ways to bring butterflies in, birds, to spend time on the deck and porch. We need to get some comfortable padded chairs on our porch, those old wooden things are not only falling apart, they're murder on my backside! My favorite page on Pinterest is Gardening. There are so many cool ideas. Speaking of cool ideas, I'd best get back to finishing my garden chair.

With all the love in my heart, until next week, be Aaron, love mom