Xiaoniu 小妞

Just wanted to post a note to say that we are still alive and kicking. I’ve just been too busy to put up any posts and Emelia has been lucky to be spared my constant picture taking, at least for a little while.

We spent Mothers’ Day weekend traveling to the four winds. Saturday morning we did out best to get out of the house on time and start our travels, but ended up having too much to do and there was too little time. Around 11am we finally got the family packed into the car and made our way to Mass for a visit. Grandma was hosting her annual Mothers’ Day weekend “tea party”. Dad and I were the only males present until Uncle Bobby stopped by.

It was a nice visit. Sue got to spend time with the girls. Grandma Rie, Emelia and Missy got in some good bonding time. Dad and I caught up on recent events and took care of some computer related issues. A bite to eat and we were on our way to visit the other half. Luckily for us Emelia was great both to and from Mass. No crying or fussing. When we left Mass both Emelia and mom were out like a light. I spent the trip listening to Grammar Girl podcasts (a topic for another post).

Sunday we for the most part laid back. Emelia was a daddy’s girl while mommy went shopping for groceries and other things. Sue spent part of the day preparing for dinner. Around 4:30 I started up the grill and proceeded to blacken various cuts of mammal flesh. Slurped our food down, packed the car and headed home.

This was different than years past, but good in its own right. We spent a lot of time traveling, but we got to spend time with more people than usual.

At home we’ve been keeping busy with the garden, the lawn and flowers. Last week I put down seed and fertilizer so that I can get some grass growing on the unsightly bare spots where we once had big trees.

Finally, after a week I’m starting to see a few seeds germinating. That’s a relief since I’ve seen the weeds start to germinate as well. I’m hoping that that the grass wins. If all goes well I’ll be putting more seed down on other bare spots.

The lawn is a big eye sore and I can’t wait to get it cleaned up. I’ve been reading books and watching videos about lawn maintenance and repair, and I’ve learned quite a bit. It’s more involved than I though, but not impossible. My goal is to have a durable and decent looking lawn. I’m not looking for the showcase yard, which is damaged by merely walking across it. So far I’ve learned about all the problems the lawn has or may have.

The garden is doing well. Sue picked up about a dozen plants to get us started (just in case our attempt to grow from seed fails miserably). Strawberries, Asian eggplants, peppers and a couple varieties of tomatoes are all living happily in the garden. We’re trying to grow some other plants from seeds. Spinach and Chinese chives are in the garden already. In the house with have a container with tiny pepper and tomato. We should be able to put them outside in a few weeks.

When it gets dark out I’m back in the house working on indoor chores. The basement is coming along nicely. Since the wall was painted I’ve been able to finish the wiring, put up a big shelf, move the stereo to its new home, move the work bench to its proper place, and organize all my supplies. I’ve even been able to finish up a few repair projects, which feels great to have off my plate. I’ve got a little more painting to do and it’s done. Afterwards I move on to the finished side. Demolition time!