Day Thirty-Seven: Are We There, Yet?
We had a bit of a rough weekend. My father-in-law had to go in for emergency bypass surgery on Friday. We postponed the HVAC installation in order to go be there and help prep the house for his return home. He seems to have come through the surgery fine and will be home by the end of the week. I was able to telecommute, so I didn't disrupt some critical things going on at work. Sunday, and during my breaks and in the evenings, I got a couple of the rooms cleaned up and the house vaccumed to help reduce the allergen levels and aid his recovery. My sister-in-law is getting her cleaning crew to pay a visit, too.
We discovered that the painkillers the hospital gave him make him more entertaining than normal. :) Our niece made a list of his witticisms for future reference. 8^P.
New Yard
In the rush to get to the in-laws', I finished off the sidewalk removal process. Friday, after lunch, I picked up the first load of soil to fill in the old sidewalk trench and filled in everything in about an hour after work. Good thing, too. The mulch place wasn't really open on Saturday, but the guy was going to be there running a yard sale, so I arranged to pick up a second load early in the morning. I finished filling in the sidewalk trench before showering, packing, and heading out.
While we were gone, the landscapers came in and planted stuff. Unfortunately, they reverted to the original plan for where the new sidewalk would go, and replaced the marker flags we had pulled up. they used most of the remaining soil I had left for them in the pack of the pickup (and got most of it cleaned out--which I didn't expect).
They expanded the "natural area" further out than I had made it--which was a little disturbing and a little more expensive--but it probably will look better with the new sidewalk plan.
My sweetie is thrilled with the new plantings, but I spotted some varigated stuff that I'm not too pleased with. Maybe it will look better once it grows up a bit or at a different time of year. I can live with them, I suppose. They also took out one of the shrubs by the front porch, but it has been replaced with something smaller that sits further out. I wish they had moved the other azalea bush, too, but that may happen during a second landscaping phase. It looks like we'll have to water it a good bit for a while--hopefully, the cold weather won't do any damage to the new plants.
Missed You Fu
Ignatius was extremely needy last night. He definitely missed "his peeps". Ælgifu did her usual temporary snub of us, then was affectionate--mainly when the tinned food was put out. Josie needed lots of reassurance, too, and we were pleased to lavish attention on the kitties. After all, we got Plush Kitty Endorphins out of it, too. :)
We discovered that the painkillers the hospital gave him make him more entertaining than normal. :) Our niece made a list of his witticisms for future reference. 8^P.
New Yard
In the rush to get to the in-laws', I finished off the sidewalk removal process. Friday, after lunch, I picked up the first load of soil to fill in the old sidewalk trench and filled in everything in about an hour after work. Good thing, too. The mulch place wasn't really open on Saturday, but the guy was going to be there running a yard sale, so I arranged to pick up a second load early in the morning. I finished filling in the sidewalk trench before showering, packing, and heading out.
While we were gone, the landscapers came in and planted stuff. Unfortunately, they reverted to the original plan for where the new sidewalk would go, and replaced the marker flags we had pulled up. they used most of the remaining soil I had left for them in the pack of the pickup (and got most of it cleaned out--which I didn't expect).
They expanded the "natural area" further out than I had made it--which was a little disturbing and a little more expensive--but it probably will look better with the new sidewalk plan.
My sweetie is thrilled with the new plantings, but I spotted some varigated stuff that I'm not too pleased with. Maybe it will look better once it grows up a bit or at a different time of year. I can live with them, I suppose. They also took out one of the shrubs by the front porch, but it has been replaced with something smaller that sits further out. I wish they had moved the other azalea bush, too, but that may happen during a second landscaping phase. It looks like we'll have to water it a good bit for a while--hopefully, the cold weather won't do any damage to the new plants.
Missed You Fu
Ignatius was extremely needy last night. He definitely missed "his peeps". Ælgifu did her usual temporary snub of us, then was affectionate--mainly when the tinned food was put out. Josie needed lots of reassurance, too, and we were pleased to lavish attention on the kitties. After all, we got Plush Kitty Endorphins out of it, too. :)