Random Stuff

The Antelope Island Fire:

So a couple of nights before I left, Jack and I were heading out to the movies to see Star Trek, and as we headed west on Parrish Lane, we saw Antelope Island burning: Over 13,000 acres were ultimately consumed in flames. It was an awesome (using this word in its true context) sight.

...And a random photo of the moon that night above out house....

Bachelor's Degree In Science--YAY!

I spent the last year completing my BSN online through Weber---people would ask me: "So is getting this degree advancement going to make you more money?" And I would shrug my shoulders. All I know is that I felt like it was the next thing to do. So I did it. What I do know is that after I was finished, I felt more prepared to take on new things, which led me to try travel nursing (more on that later).

Steely Dan Concert 2016

Nancy and I went to see Steely Dan at the Usana Ampitheater out in the west valley...as usual, they did not disappoint!

More Stuff

Cool facial mask from the Asian Market

Cory brought these back from his latest reserve trip to Ramstein; yodel-ay-hee-hooooo!!

My clothes hog husband has a lot of ties, so we found a fun way to hang them.

 Hanging Out With Ramona (Grandma/Mom)

This Is What Happens When I Leave My Phone Unlocked and Unattended......

Rock Walls, Steps and Paths

We had been having problems with soil on the south side of our house eroding into the neighbor's 

beautiful lawn, so it was time to build a retaining wall.  I wanted to do a dry stack wall because I like the style and did not feel like playing with cement.  Once I started hauling rocks and stacking them, it became a fun, creative project; kind of like playing Tetris. 

We also needed to landscape the south side of the house, so as I was hauling rocks anyway, I decided to do some terracing and make some stone steps from large pavers.

These are a couple of the wooden frames I built to set into the ground to support the large pavers.

I planted a small patch of wildflower seed to see how it would look.

After looking at both, I opted for the rock border rather than the green edging.

A new skill I learned was how to cut stone with a power saw.  Here you can see the end result of numerous passes with the saw, increasing 1/4 in. every pass. The cut ended up being about 4 inches deep.

Actually, once the cut was made, we flipped the rock and Jack jumped on it...though I don't doubt his superhuman abilities.......

Steps leading into the garden from the sidewalk:

View from the front sidewalk looking at the beginnings of our paver pathway.

The south side as far as it was finished before I needed to head out to N.H.

I also began an intensive weeding/pruning/mulching of the front garden:

I began working on it in late April and it has taken time, but it is time I have loved spending creating something functional and (I think) aesthetically pleasing.