Man, my father in law can work a post hole digger like an old farm boy! Sunday, Rich came over and helped me build a fence along a portion of our backyard, cordoning off an odd cement patio and what used to be the dog run. We live on a corner lot with a good sized back yard, but the it is ringed by a low chain link fence, and the entirety is visible from the street, so we spend very little actual time in the yard, as most of our neighbors are the nosy, annoying variety. Previously, there had been a fenced in dog run, all dirt and weeds beside the patio space. We pulled down the section of fence separating the two and tried to plant some grass on the dog run area.
Unfortunately, the previous owners not only used the run area for dogs, but he apparently used a section to pour sawdust and chemicals from his various home projects, and grass wouldnt grow there very well. We've worked on it though and it was starting to take shape. We just figure we'll put some fun pavers down where the grass wont grow or something. So then we had a nice sized space, but we could still be assaulted by Graham Cracker Fogey and the Momma from Throw Momma From The Train and her yappy pocket dog. We started throwing around ideas and after chatting with Rich, he said that we should just build a simple fence rather than the outlandish things I was bandying about (Vines, tiered benches, holograms, etc...)
On the 3rd, we hit Home Depot and Lowes and bought a few posts and slats for around a hundred and fifty bucks, which was quite cheap. Sunday morning, Rich showed up and we dug the holes and mounted the posts, and later that night he came back over to help finish the job. Turned out pretty damn nice, if I say so myself! We still have the original chain link gate and a section of fencing, but eventually we'll likely replace those too.
In the meantime, we have a nice sized, fairly private garden area to hang out and barbecue in. Hooray! Now we just have to start looking into some furniture that doesn't consist of old spools and thrift store chic....
Writing -
Not a lot on this front, though I've tried a few different things with my Zombie book and printed a couple of my current draft of The Whispering Ferns. I also started some layout and plot ideas for a MG/YA fantasy novel, one that takes a lot of the conventional roles from fantasy and twists 'em a bit. It should be fun, but I have the crappy task of coming up with a passel of fantasy names that don't sound goofy. I hate that.
I also finished my header for the Moonstone Bay Blog which I think turned out really fun. I tried to hit something that had a bit of a classic children's book illustration feel to it. My only regret is that the welcome sign seems too removed from the rest of the piece, I think the coloring is too noticeably different.. have to fix that eventually.
Speaking of children's book artists, I highly recommend Kelly Light's blog. She has an excellent, clean style and she digs the Barenaked Ladies... how can you not love that??
1 comment:
It's almost as if your father-in-law was raised on a Montana ranch and worked like a dog until he went off to college. He's still in superb shape for a man about to turn 60. Like my own father, Rich will be in great shape when he's 88 also. I think that's why Susan married him....she wanted a man like dear old dad.
Post a Comment