Genevieve
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	The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam...

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my husband, like a puppy, likes to dig holes in the bakyard... isn't it cute?
2003-03-28 - 5:17 p.m.

I love those few precious times when I can catch up on diaries now, or at least try to. I just can't make myself get on the computer for long hours from home. It just seems like a waste of time.

So, to chronicle our past week, last Friday night Alan had a meeting to discuss getting a professional to dig and build the new fishie pond in the backyard. After we both reeled from sticker shock, we decided we'd just have to find the time to do it ourselves. I think we decided to be bums the rest of the night.

I was not prepared, but I should have been. I awake to the sounds of shoveling in the back yard on Saturday morning. Someone decided that now was the time to get started on the backyard pond. There was much laying out of boundries and getting a plan made and I tried to ignore it as long as I could watching TV, but finally guilt overcame me. I dressed in grub clothes and went out to help by dear husband dig holes in the backyard. Specifically I was given the challenge of making a level bed of concrete blocks for the outside wall. Meanwhile Alan continued chipping away at a hole in the ground. We had to stop because we had to shower and head to Richmond for Jer's Party, and because my shoulder and wrist were killing me.

The party was grand. There was much food, much bumming around, a bit of weaving (my 3rd attempt at a bear being worse than my first, it might have helped to have a chart, but the freestyle ermines came out fine) and some drinking and palling about. We were up too late, but isn't that always the way of things. Sunday morning was lucious breakfast of Kirsten's F*ck the French Toast (not that she would call it that) and sausage and scrambled eggy cheesy goodness. Then after a bit more socializing we had to head home to the salt mines, er backyard.

Yup, we get home, change into grubby clothes again and get back to work. Now for those who have seen our backyard may remember the random stairs that lead to nowhere as part of the retaining wall in our yard. We found the reason for the senseless stairs. That seemed to be the highest density of the sedimentary rock in our backyard. Yes, our yard doesn't hold dirt so much as a ton of mica (which made my hands look gold toned like Anck Su Namun from the Mummy) and other layers of brittle but tough to dig rock. I mean, what the hell??? We suck it up and dig more quite discouraged at our lack of progress. By dark we give up, call Wendy and Rob for dinner and go take a shower. Hard day's work, tired arms and back.

Monday Gen has off of work thanks to the University's Spring Break. Alan determines that he has captive slave labor (okay I did foolishly volunteer) and decides to play hookey. So we decide that Monday is a power tool day. We head to Home Depot and after getting more landscape ties, sand, etc, he ends up renting a power auger in the hopes that it will dig holes in prospecitve hole in the yard breaking the rock and making it easier to dig out. This theory was mostly right. Along with the power tool rental, Alan buys me a pair of pink work gloves. I am apparently easily bought. The rest of the afternoon went like this. Use power auger to dig holes. Bring out maddock (not a haddock) to break up the rest of the dirt, Alan rest and Jen tries to shovel out the now loosened dirt. Repeat as necessary. This makes for an even tougher day of labor in the back yard, but we did get an amazing amout accomplished by the time to take back the auger. There is at least a sizable hole in the yard and calculations are done and books consulted to see is 30 inches is deep enough for the fish to winter. Book says 28 inches for zone 5 and we are zone 7, rock on! As we turn back in the power tool, we take a spin around the garden area to look at plants. Now, I'm not green thumb oriented at all. Really, Alan takes care of all the plants in the house. I guarantee that if it is a flowering house plant I can and will kill it. I wish I didn't. And yet I am irresitably drawn to the heather, and forsythia and the sad azaleas, and then finally the pansies. Alan wisely figures that if it doesn't go in the ground as soon as we get home it'll just wait and die. Oh, poo, but he's right. So instead of hemming and hawing on what can go where I settle on a small group if pansies to take the place of the stupid evergreen shrubs we took out the weekend before our wedding. Extremely uncharacteristically as soon as we got home I planted the pansies in the front mounds of mulch and they haven't died yet. Thankfully the rain means I don't have to remember to water them, cause I'm a moron and will forget. Then Alan works more on the pond, digging out and scraping the bottom of the pond to be somewhat even and we crash and order Take out and revel in the comfy chairs and our sore backs.

Tuesday I was still off work, Alan again plays hookey and we get to work, but with different objectives. I declare war on the pile of laundry, especially the work clothes from the past few days, and he goes out for more pond futzing. I do laundry and bring him cool drinks. He assembles the edge of the pond and attempts (sucessfully) to get the pond liner in before the rain. I help him get the liner in, smoothed out and water goes in. Oh it all comes together and starts to look like a pond when the liner and water go in.

Now it has been a pond for a few days now, Alan has added chemicals to help get the water safe for fishies, and theoretically the fish were to be moved today from the garage to the pond. I'm worried since there was more rain today than Alan wanted for the final construction. We shall see.

This weekend is two things for me. I'll be heading out tonight for Richmond to crash with Thjora tonight and then we'll head to the Tir-Y-Don Investiture tomorrow. Something special is happening that I feel the need to be there for. This means I am leaving Alan for the final cleaning of the house and hosting the great party that will be the 2nd Anniversary of Bob's 50th Birthday Party. It should be grand. Currently Kirsten and I have some crazy idea of making it to the party leaving after Court from the event tomorrow in time to join the fabulous fifties festivities and party with the rest of them.

I must confess that I love having parties at the new house. It makes me so happy to have folks over and enjoying a good time. And as Meng mentioned, it is great motivation for cleaning. Luckily folks don't mind invading our house for the random get together, and more's the better. It also means I don't have to drive anywhere afterwards. :)

And best of luck to the Meng-ton in her Mrs. Maryland Pagent tomorrow! Kick ass baby!

See some of you Saturday! Hopefully see some of you on Saturday night!

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