Look at our handiwork!

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Originally uploaded by countmockula

I mentioned to my dad that I'd like his help building some planter beds for the backyard. He called me this morning to ask if today was good. It was! I got Mom to take the baby, and I went to Home Depot for everything we needed (well, everything but tools, which he was in charge of!). The 2x12 12 foot long redwood boards were really heavy, and I foolishly hefted them onto my cart myself. I did, however, get someone to cut them and help me get them in the car.

Dad came over at about one, and we set about watching the DIY video I'd found and setting up. We cut the support posts to size (okay, Dad did that), measured where the holes should go (me!), drilled all the holes (Dad), went back to Home Depot for the correct size carriage bolts (me), and then assembled them and pushed them into place.

That photo is deceiving, by the way. It looks like the backyard is shaded, but it wasn't this afternoon, and we did most of this in 90 degree heat in the sunshine.

I have big, big plans. A 7x15 patch of flagstone, a lawn to rip out, a load of decomposed granite to lay down, 64 cubic feet of potting soil to put in, plants to plant, soaker hoses to place, and who knows what all! I'm thinking some of this is going to have to be done by other people. But I'm not above paying folks to do my hard labor. I really appreciate Dad doing my hard labor today for free. =)

On another topic, I made fresh peach ice cream the other day. I sampled it when I put it in the freezer, then I had a coffee cup full on another evening. I saw Sweetie eating some out of the Tupperware the other night, and noted that he seemed to be enjoying it (as he sat and ate it for quite a while). But when I went to get it out again, before I could even get the lid off, Sweetie started yelling "There wasn't much left when I got it! I don't know what happened to it! I didn't eat all that!" I looked at what was left, and it was about another coffee cup full. I had originally made a whole quart. So the good news is that he liked it! The other good news is that now I have an excuse to make more with more fresh, local, seasonal fruit. Or maybe chocolate... Mmmm, I love ice cream.