Milestones:1. The grass we planted two weeks ago is coming up.
2. The dirt pile that was in front of the house is gone.
3. Don has removed about 500 trees (no kidding) to create our "defensible space."
4. The lights are on in the barn.
5. Don's lost 25 pounds without even trying (and I found some of it).
We thought we'd have an "open house" in June, but too much remains to be done. The porch and deck need sealing, there's a bit more rockwork to do on the windowsills, Don's library furniture isn't ready yet, and the exterior still needs to be stained. Maybe in the fall??? By then we should also have our horseshoe pit and fire ring in the back yard.
Visitors have come in a steady and very welcome procession since early March...Maurice Alpert, Barb Madsen, Jim Stump, Larry Demoss, Judy Otteson, Celine Bates, Dominic Viega. My friends Charlie Reddick and Laurie Mosher will be here later this week, followed by Gene Carner, Rollie Taylor, John Jay, and all of the rest of you. If you're reading this, you're invited. It's just as much fun to be able to share this incredible place with you as it is to live here ourselves.
Don hopes to have his gunsmithing capabilities up and running in a week or so, as soon as he gets his machines wired up. I'm teaching free dog classes in town once a week and already have about 10 students.
We work/play outside all day...pruning, hiking, riding, spraying for knapweed, mowing, planting deer-proof (i.e., silk) flowers, dog agility training, road grading, and more hiking. We go to bed tired. It's wonderful. Gas prices don't even seem to affect us that much, because we never want to leave here.
The river is very high and muddy, due to spring runoff and lots of rain. It'll be a while before the fishermen get out on it. Don is shopping on the internet for fishing stuff, so he'll be ready when the river is.
Even without fishing, there's plenty of fun around here....like endless hiking just out the back door, and shooting to your heart's content. So don't wait for clear water; come over and see us now....and later too!
