Trees and Gutters

Ted and I visited our local nursery, and left a lot of money behind! We bought 4 trees and a few flowering shrubs, and needed them delivered and planted.

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First, Ted used the backhoe to dig up the area to be planted. This is raw, undeveloped land, so it was the FIRST time the soil had been disturbed. It was solid and filled with our local variety of rocks.

Then the guys from the nursery started to dig DEEP holes.
The first tree to be planted was the biggest, by far. We wanted a red maple and bought the biggest one we could find. HEY! We're old! We don't have time for it to mature.

They eased it off the truck and dismantled the wooden box. (See Ted relaxing while others do the work?)

It will be beautiful in the fall.

Then it was time to plant the aspens. We wanted to start a stand of aspen, so we planted 3 pots, each with 3 plants. They are supposed to be fast growers, so hopefully the area will fill in. They will turn yellow in the fall.

All the trees are planted in front of the house.

Since they were already planting the trees, it was only a few dollars more to plant and mulch the 4 shrubs.

We put 2 (yellow blooms) forsythia toward the left of the house, a white lilac under the living room window, and an old fashioned purple lilac under the window on the right. So, we'll have spring color next to the house, and fall color in the front yard.

THEN, the team arrived to put up the gutters. The back of the house has a 60 foot continuous gutter.

While the front of the house has several small sections.

And that's our latest adventure! $$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Stay tuned..........

CASA

I'M OFFICIAL! I was sworn in by Judge Donna Grimsley of the Arizona Supreme Court. (Note the brace on my right hand! CLASSY!)

I now have my official badge and will receive my Court Order to carry with me whenever I interview anyone related to the case I'm assigned. In essence, the court order will say that whoever I'm talking to MUST talk to me about the case or explain to the judge why he/she defied the court order. Powerful!
Unfortunately, this is probably the last you will hear about my CASA activities. EVERYTHING related to the case is confidential.

Stay tuned......

Time Out!

I had carpal tunnel surgery last Friday and the bandaging slowed me down a bit. The darn thing weighed 3 pounds so I had to carry it most of the time.

Ted was a big help as I couldn't do much on my own. He even managed to get my pierced earrings back in after surgery. It is amazing to find out things you can't do one-handed, like put toothpaste on a toothbrush, floss your teeth, open jars, etc. But, for a few days, we managed. On Monday, I got the cast off and am now in classy splint! Looks and functions much better. Stay tuned!

Auctions

Some of my friends have recently visited Pikes Peak and discovered amazing bridges in Ohio. We all take our fun where we find it, and on Saturday, we found this auction 1 mile from home.

This isn't Grumpy Dave. Apparently he died and they didn't bother to change the sign. Anyway, this guy kept the auction going for at least 6 hours, non-stop. First they got rid of everything on this flat-bed trailer before everyone moved inside for the furniture.

You bid on a box and got everything in it, whether you wanted it or not! I bid on that box of pots and pans, but someone else wanted it waaaaaaaaay more than I did.

I wanted that strainer and didn't care what else was in the box. Turns out there were 9 pieces of Corning Ware, that I loved, and needed.

I paid $5 for this box of storage containers and got all 9 lids for the Corning Ware. Works for me!!!

Ted, Patricia and Judy are paying close attention. We ALL bought "stuff" that day.

Joy and Barbara were also paying close attention, too. There were some good buys.

Here's a couple of my purchases. I found this wood card table and chairs, the insink strainer I wanted, the Corning Ware and this neat ladle carved from one piece of wood. I will find a place to hang it in the kitchen. Ted bought a gas powered weed eater, a file cabinet, a pickax, and a few other things as well. We are very pleased and had a fun day. Hey! Life happens all around you! Just look for it!

Stay tuned...

Finally...Skirting

I remember how excited we were when the lights were turned on...

...my, how far we've come. As of Sunday, we now have our skirting installed and the house is complete. We can now move to the optional phase of home ownership, landscaping, etc. But the skirting was crucial for winterization and critter control. YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's how we got here. Start with your basic manufactured home, mounted on piers...

...add framing and a bottom track 2 inches deep...

...order a pallet of vinyl skirting,...

...hire a great, but slow worker...

...and this is the result...5 days later.

I know it is hard for anyone else to get excited about these things, but this blog is called ...OUR LIFE !!

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Stay tuned!