Tuesday April 1, 2003
Headed out this morning to Mt Gilead to the SWCD (Morrow County Soil & Water Conservation District) to order up some cheap trees they’re offering. Signed up for various evergreens and decorative trees—they’ll be available in @ 2 weeks.
It’s been a week since I last wrote, and I just bought this notebook today, so I’ll have to do my best to remember all the stuff we’ve done.
I planted the 11 “screen” poplars and mulched. The next day we planted @ 15 ‘shade’ poplars and 4 red maples in the west field. 1 red maple went in north of the pond, just over the berm. After receiving the poplar order, we used a rainy day to fill out the order form for the same nursery and made decisions on shrubs, grasses, trees and some bulbs. Can’t wait til we get some greenery around the pond.
David’s water pumping ploy did a great job to get the pond’s water level high, but when he shut it off for a few days, the level dropped quite a bit. Neighbor [D] told David there are no intentional drains or holes in the pond; David decided to reverse the pump and pump water OUT of the pond until it’s low enough that we can line the sides with plastic.
Oh, the SWCD also has a fish stocking program for pond owners, so we’ll decide how many of what to get and sign up for that (bluegill, bass, etc). Once we get this water level thing figured out it will be fun to have fish swimming around. We’re looking forward to Alex & Matt fish from the pier—catch and release, of course.
Other outside activities have included David fencing, me starting to clear the garden area, David cleaning up the Gold Wing, me removing old horse manure from the “new” section of back yard by the stream—I can’t keep track of it all. Oh, right, David built a gate in the fence into the west field, and a bridge to get across the creek.
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| Fantastic improvement! |
It’s so fun to have easy access to that field without going down the road or climbing through the fence & wading across.Today I started raking some plant gunk from the waterway because it’s getting really choked off. Pretty physically demanding, but I enjoy the challenge.
Right, I said I would recap Dad & Elsie’s visit. They arrived late March 9 (David’s birthday—he and I had porterhouse steaks at the Brown Derby, and he got an oil massage from me the night before, and a subscription to “This Old House” magazine) after having stopped by to see Lars & have dinner with him. They stayed until Tuesday of the following week, and worked nonstop in between.
Dad was working with David downstairs on the drywall and Elsie was a sewing maniac. She made a valance for the GBR window, shortened the side panels, made a table runner and 4 pillows. Everything looks so nice. She also made 2 tractor seat covers for David—a project she probably wishes she hadn’t volunteered for once the problems started…
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The basement stove chimney looks great after David re-bricked it
and put up drywall. |
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| David drywalling, mudding & taping in the basement GBR |
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| 3/10/03 Dad helps with some mudding & taping |
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| 3/12/03 Dad makes a helpful mess! |
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| Pavoratti, it isn't polite to eavesdrop! |
It was fun making dinners in, and trying out some new recipes. We only ate out once, at the Malabar Inn on Saturday. Lars came up to see us all, and went out to eat with us. It was a relaxed, low key visit with him, and he & Dad spent time looking at Dad’s computer (maps or something).
On Sunday, Leslie’s family was scheduled to come over, and they arrived @ 3pm. Leslie brought cheese stuffed shells, Elsie made meat lasagna, and I made veggie lasagna in the slow cooker. I had forgotten to buy bread, so Leslie saved me by bringing 2 fresh loaves from a bakery near her house. Before dinner, the kids had fun running around outside, playing near the pond, playing in the barn, and of course, playing in the hot tub (David had reduced the temp to 96*). Everyone got along great, and Leslie says Dad has hardly changed since seeing him at her wedding 10 years ago.
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| 3/16/03 Emily doesn't seem to share Matt's enthusisam for the view... |
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| No, definitely not. |
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| Nice to hot tub after a hard day's play. |
Dad & Elsie really liked the *guest bedroom, and it was nice to see it being used. They also seemed to get a kick out of the morning “room service” on the custom painted tray (to match the room!).
[2013 Addendum to Journal: After all the guests left, but before the activity on March 25 [March Madness), we managed to squeeze in few more projects.]
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| There was a power pole in the backyard outside the sunroom, with a ghastly streetlight at the top. |
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| We cut it down! |
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| David ran electricity to the large shed by digging a trench, installing, and burying cables. |
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The area outside the sunroom was a mess of weeds and uneven ground,
so we began the process of clearing, leveling, and preparing for gravel. |
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Removed grass in a spot near the back door
to create a temporary garden area |
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| 3/20/03 Finally finished my counted cross-stitch pattern |
*guest bedroom: Not sure why I didn't have pictures of the upstairs bedroom, but maybe it wasn't completed yet
End of Entry
Oh, the SWCD also has a fish stocking program for pond owners, so we’ll decide how many of what to get and sign up for that (bluegill, bass, etc). Once we get this water level thing figured out it will be fun to have fish swimming around. We’re looking forward to Alex & Matt fish from the pier—catch and release, of course.
On Sunday, Leslie’s family was scheduled to come over, and they arrived @ 3pm. Leslie brought cheese stuffed shells, Elsie made meat lasagna, and I made veggie lasagna in the slow cooker. I had forgotten to buy bread, so Leslie saved me by bringing 2 fresh loaves from a bakery near her house. Before dinner, the kids had fun running around outside, playing near the pond, playing in the barn, and of course, playing in the hot tub (David had reduced the temp to 96*). Everyone got along great, and Leslie says Dad has hardly changed since seeing him at her wedding 10 years ago. 
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