Garden- Post 2

After a long break from the garden, Mike and I got back to work on it and it looks great. Well, it's not pretty, but it will be when the veggies start to grow. We are using grass clippings to keep the weeds down, so it's a little icky looking. But, it will save me a lot of time weeding. We have peppers, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, eggplant, and LOTS of cucumbers. We are saving room for beets and beans, I think. The gigantic plant in the front of the picture is rhubarb. I just might try to make strawberry rhubarb pie. But, don't hold your breath.

In the 90 degree weather today, we planted 2 baby Japanese Maple trees and 2 Rose of Sharon. Hopefully they will make it through this nasty heat and humidity. We are hoping to put a fence in front of these little trees to spruce up the front yard. They look so tiny and silly, but when they get bigger I think it will be nice.

My peonies are starting to bloom. They are very pretty.

Lastly, I like that my rhododendron are blooming, but the harsh winter killed parts of them. When they are finished blooming, I'm going to need to cut the dead parts out. Hopefully, I won't have to take all of them down because I like the way they look in the back corner of the yard.

Babies

I was so excited to hear that my friend Ashley is a real AUNTIE. Her nephew is so cute. It reminded me of the babies I'm watching at my house. The nest is on the light next to my sliding glass door. Mommy Robin is so used to us (dogs included) she never gets off the nest. We are in and out of that door probably 25 times a day and she doesn't care. When she leaves to get their dinner, I see all 3 of them sticking their necks up and opening their mouths to tell their Mommy they're hungry. Last night, Mike saw mommy and daddy both land in the nest.

So sweet.

Willie is now trained to his new dog fence. He loves it. He runs laps around our house and gets himself all tired out. He loves to dig holes in the flower beds and grass.

Pucky had 4 MORE teeth removed this week. 4 out of the 5 small teeth on the bottom front. Poor little guy! I can't wait to see him growl.

The Garden- Day 1

We are finally going to have a garden! I miss the garden at the house we were renting 2 years ago (btw- that's the only thing I miss). Now that we have a house of our own, we must have a garden. When we bought the house, everyone said that the previous owners took very good care of the soil in the bed. The soil smells bad when it's hot, so that must be good, right? Anyway, we got a good start on it today. Unfortunately, it might be some time before we get to Day 2 because the next 7 days have rain in the forecast.

This is what it looked like before:

Mike dug up a piece of wood that is supposed to be the edge of the garden bed. It got run over by the excavator (Mike driving) last spring. It was fine, but it was buried a little. He got it out, and screwed it back in place.

He looks very serious.

Willie and I hung out for that part.

We snuggled in the dirt. While we worked, he did his own landscaping in the yard-

4 or 5 lovely holes.

Mike wrapped the string around the posts as we went around and hammered them in to make sure they were lined up nicely. We used a tape measure to make sure they were generally the same distance from each other.

Mike cemented this 4x4 into the ground. We have a lot of ledge in the backyard, so it was hard to find spots to bury the posts where we weren't hitting rock. The door will be here.

At the end of Day 1, we got about half of it fenced in.

I can't wait to finish! I have about a month to be completely done and ready to start planting. Any thoughts on what to plant? We already have LOTS of rhubarb growing. You can see it in the picture to the right.

Vacation

Spring vacation is here! I have BIG PLANS to do nothing. Well, I will need to catch up on a little school work, but that is practically nothing compared to what I do in a normal week.

This weekend, Puck and I got some much needed Vitamin D while Mike worked on the shed behind us.

Mike and I also tried to set up the wireless invisible fence for the dogs. We set it up and I walked all over the yard sticking the flags in the ground. However, I noticed in our (sloping) front yard, there were serious "holes" in the fence. At certain angles, Willie could run completely out of the yard. So after reading more about the system on the internet, I learned the wireless doesn't work well when the yard slopes away from the unit. Therefore, we will be getting the invisible fence that you have to bury in the ground.

Even though the fence didn't work out well, it gave me the chance to walk around and look at the pretty spring flowers blooming.

Daffodils, tulips, and little pink flowers whose name escapes me...

For the rest of vacation, I will be attempting to keep these 2 out of my bed.

I'm also getting ready to fence in a vegetable garden. I have the materials and Mike and I just need to clear the space. Once that is done, I will post pictures.

Yikes Bikes

Over the weekend, Mike and I dug the bikes out of the shed and took them for a ride on the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. I only know that official name because I looked it up online. (I usually refer to it as the long path that starts in Cheshire.) It's actually 84 miles long, and much of it is paved. It was colder than I thought it was going to be, which is why I'm all bundled up. Next time, I'm taking my rollerblades!

We also went to the dog park. The first few times I went there, I loved it. Willie was so happy and getting along with everyone. He runs around off the leash and socialized with everyone. He is completely harmless and so submissive to other dogs. Over the weekend, we went twice and both times Willie got beaten up by ghetto pitbulls. Their owners said things to us like, "Oh, they just want to hump your dog." Or they said, "Yaaa our dog is so playful." For all you doggie idiots out there, when your dog is twice the size of the puppy, growling and foaming at the mouth at a puppy, and showing teeth and biting the puppy to make the puppy cry and yelp, your dog is a mean asshole and belongs nowhere near the doggie park. That is fighting, not playing. Go back to the ghetto of Waterbury or Bridgeport or wherever you came from and let your dog FIGHT in your own backyard.

Look at this dog. Does he really look like he could defend himself?

Italian Girl Meets Irish Boy

I know this post is seriously late, but with my busy schedule, I figure it's better late than never.

March 17th always reminds Mike and I of our first St. Patty's Day together. He took me (Lisa MARIANO) to a St. Patrick's Day dinner and party with his friends. I grew up eating pasta 3 nights a week, and had never EVER celebrated St. Patrick's Day. We arrive at this party and the conversation went like this:

Mike: So, you want to get something to eat.

Lisa: Sure, I guess. (Together we walk to the buffet table and each pick up a plate.)

Mike: Well, what do you want?

Lisa: (Squinting her eyes and looking for a dish that she recognizes, now sees a plate that resembles meat. Now her nose turns up.) Ummm, I don't think I want to eat that ham, really.

Mike: (Eyesballs bulging out of his head) Lisa, that's corned beef!

Lisa: Well, whatever. I'm not eating it. I've never eaten it and I'm not doing it now. (She sees clear looking worms in a pan.) What's that?

Mike: Cabbage.

Lisa: Huh. (She returns the plate to the pile.)

Mike: Please don't tell anyone about this conversation.

Now, 5 years later, I make delicious corned beef and cabbage in the slowcooker AND eat it!

This beer is for show. I ordered it and gave it to Mike. We did an Irish Car Bomb, and then I ordered a margarita.

This guy, HENEGHAN, had a lot more than me.

what kind of day do you think I'm having?

Happy thought of the day:

6:00am- I love "Born This Way" by Lady Gaga! It really gets me going at the gym!

All my other thoughts for the day:

At the gym...

6:15am- How much more do I have to go?

6:20am- Does that girl really think that I think that she doesn't see me? Seriously, I don't want to say hello to you either, but I was taught that you should wave, say hello, and be polite. Two words: white trash.

6:30am- Maybe I need an "ugly friend" to go to the gym with. Other people here are clearly doing it. That guy even has "back-up ugly friends"

At home...

7:15am- Is this scale right? Kill me...

7:30am- Why is Willie chewing on the SECOND pair of earbuds I have bought?

7:45am- Great. No clean pans to make eggs.

8:00am- Coffee smells terribly burnt thanks to my abuse of Afrin over the last week.

8:15am- I should be at work already.

8:30am- 4:30pm- School. Need I say more?

On my way home...

4:30pm- Where in GOD's name did you learn that merging onto the highway going 35mph is a safe idea?

4:35pm- Or that driving below the speed limit is appropriate?

4:36pm- Of course you are getting off of my exit and I will have to follow you home.

At home...

5:00pm- Mail: bill, bill, bill.

5:15pm- Wonder what we're gonna have for dinner since I forgot to take something out.

5:20pm- Just remembered we're completely out of alcoholic beverages.

5:30pm- I'm sick of doing laundry. If I was ever to come upon a large sum of money, I would hire a maid.