I’ve had an algae problem in the pond, so I thought I’d try some pond dye in it (pond dye is supposed to block out the rays that allow algae to grow). It arrived today so I mixed some up and dumped it in and now the pond is solid black. Methinks I put too much in. It shouldn’t cause any problems, but you definitely cannot see anything now. So, in effect, it has solved my algae problem. I suspect with more rain in the forecast, the pond will turn a lighter color shortly. If not, hopefully the algae that is in there will die from lack of sunlight.
painting & drinking
Yesterday, we spent a good bit of time at the office and started painting the outside. We got most of the rear wall done and all of the one side (with the exception of a few small areas that need to be cut in). It looks great. My only concern is the weather forecast–I’m not sure when we will be able to finish up. We need probably 3-4 hours to do the other wall. If we have any nice days this week, we’ll go and do some of the areas we skipped. After everything is done, we have to go back and paint the trim, but that will be easy in comparison. Boy did this make us tired–we’re used to sitting on our butts all day, not doing actual work. Even after a nap yesterday and a decent night’s sleep, I woke up tired this morning.
Last night, we had another couple over for drinks, appetizers, and conversation. It was a nice evening to spend on the patio. I think we’re going to be doing more entertaining like this and less “dinner” entertaining and see how that goes–it’s so much less work, but with the same results.
127 hours
Long time, no blog. Good thing I watch a movie just about every week, otherwise I might not have anything to say.
Last night we watched 127 hours. I found the acting and cinematography to be excellent, but overall it was kind of boring. I mean, there’s only so much you can do with one character that immobilized in a cave, you know? The movie clocked in at about 90 minutes, so it’s not like they could have made it any shorter. The part where the guy cut his arm off was pretty disgusting. I’m thinking they could have shortened that scene a bit, though.
Today is supposed to be beautiful, so we’re going to start painting the outside of the office. Hopefully we will get a lot done because the forecast is calling for some sort of precipitation 11 out of the next 14 days so who knows when we will be able to paint again.
the week
I got all caught up with my vegetable garden last week. Everything that is supposed to be planted is now planted. Whew! Of course, there will be more to do in the coming weeks but it feels good to be caught up. I have plenty of other things to do outside, too. First up will be weeding.
Yesterday was Jake’s 11th birthday (Happy Birthday to Jake!), so we went out for dinner at Rey Azteca to celebrate. Jake’s friend and his friend’s mom joined us for dinner. The food there is really good and I still can’t believe how cheap it is. As crowded as that place always is, you’d think they’d raise their prices.
This afternoon, we’re making a trip to Toys R Us so Jake can spend all of his birthday money (which, evidently, is burning a hole in his pocket). And, tonight is Family Movie Night. So, the fun continues…
sunday
We had a Jake’s birthday/Mother’s Day cookout on Sunday. It was just with the family–Jake will have a kids’ pool party next month. The day was pretty nice, so we did the outside thing. It was a little chilly, but not too bad. Brian and Jake worked like mad on Saturday to open the patio, so at least we were able to use it. It was an afternoon full of drinking and eating. Brian’s dad brought this cool bottle of wine (check out the label). And my mom brought some homemade limoncello (yum!). Couple that with the extra wine from our bottling session the night before, and there was no shortage of things to drink! A good way to spend the afternoon.