It was 10PM and Lauri just naturally assumed that our dog, Molly, wanted to go outside to relieve herself.  But Molly was acutely aware of an unauthorized visitor on our deck, and as the door barely cracked open she burst through and jumped on the surprised raccoon bandit that was raiding the bird-feeder and… IT… Read More »

Just four days after our lawn was installed, Lauri told me one morning… “I have something really important to tell you.”  The last time I heard those words Alyssa was born 8 months later… so I braced myself… “WE HAVE GRASS!”, she said.  Don’t tell Alyssa that I was almost as excited for the grass… Read More »

Well, it has sure been a long time coming!  Two Summers of dust… two Spring and Fall seasons of mud… much of our yard had come to more closely resemble a plowed field (and not a very nice one at that) than a grass-filled yard.  Construction projects, heavy equipment and constant traffic had done its… Read More »

It was in my way!  It needed to be moved!  Yes, it was big… yes, it was heavy… but IT WAS IN MY WAY!  So… I picked it up and moved it.  Yeah… big mistake.  I will spare you the self-deprecating details of my injury, (after all I don’t want to be one of THOSE… Read More »

My Mom is an amazing woman… I mean, she would have to be, right… to deal with all the stuff I threw in her direction as I was growing up?  I was always getting hurt… depending on who you talk to, I was either accident prone or a consummate dare-devil with no fear.  (In case… Read More »

I just love a good zoo!  Some of my favorites are The San Diego Zoo and the Cleveland Zoo — and if you ever have the chance to take the safari ride at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom — Do it!  It truly feels like you are on an African safari adventure as you wind around… Read More »

I spent some time this past weekend installing a rain water catch system for our shop building.  The new system will gather water from the roof of the building and route it to an elevated rain barrel.  The barrel then supplies water to Lauri’s potting bench and the sink in my shop.  I like the… Read More »

Not long ago I saw this mug of the poor guy, sitting on a cloud in heaven thinking… “Wish I’d brought a magazine.”  I know… it is supposed to be funny, but I actually find it quite sad.  I believe all too many people harbor the opinion that Heaven will be… well… rather boring.  Perhaps… Read More »

We bought a rock this week.  Yep… you read that right… a rock.  A big rock… but still just a rock. We have a series of large sandstone rocks that form steps down a steep part of our back yard, and the area needed one more step… hence the big rock purchase.  So, the seller… Read More »

So, what are your favorite days?  No… I don’t mean, “Friday and Saturday”… I mean what are your favorite days from your life?  Perhaps it is the day you were married… or the first day of retirement… maybe it was the first day of that vacation of a life-time… how about the day you graduated… Read More »