just a time from now

While the weather is still reasonable, work commenced on: Project_BACKYARD_29 through 31.

And I have photos to prove it :)
Up until last week, our backyard lay, if not in ruin, then in sadness as can be seen by the below photo with Aaron in the foreground and Orlando and Alfredo, our contractors, in the background. So, David made a plan as can also be seen below wherein, the fence that can be sen in the first photo is onthe left-hand side of the plan.

Next photo is our indecision about how to do the walkway curve. Alfredo was so patient with us as Aaron and I, obviously, kept moving that one truly important line this way and that until we finally got it right and the bender board was installed. Next, we picked out and had delivered the stone, the tan bark, the concrete sand (for under the stone) and the pea gravel.


Next is all the bender board installed so the outline finally shows. The black paper-ish stuff is weed blocker we had installed several years ago and which did its job in that this backyard was once full of weeds and now isn't. Unlike the rest of the yards, front, court, curb, and side, which, after last year's rains rains rains, all grow weeds profusely. We reinstalled new paper-ish stuff so its good work will continue on into the future. Below left, Orlando and Alfredo have installed the sand. Then the rocks. Then the pea gravel and tan bark.

And now, at least, a good foundation has been installed. Next PLANTS!!! And pretty POTS!!! And trellises!! And! And! And!

YAY!! Except, seriously, we have only just begun :)

Journey to my original post where not much Uncompleted Black at all has turned Completed Blue but progress is made of a sort.

53_SET-UP 4 Drawings w/ paper
     I know what my next four drawings, my yearly goal, are going to be. I have a series I'd like to do and have the paper and media all ready to go and can clearly see the images in my mind, a combining of contrasting realities. The thing is to actually start, the hard part really.
          Instead, I've been working in my sketch journal, doing my version of fairly complete doodles, one per page, that are adding to my repertoire of how to draw. I finished one of these last year and hope to do the same this year.

65_Caught in the Light of His Eyes
66_Everyone Who Mattered to Them Was There
     These two are a part of my embracing of nostalgia, a longing for a simpler time, re-reading and re-editing some of my old stories. I miss, so much miss, writing but am uninclined at the moment to start anything new so, doing this will have to suffice. And so far it has :)

Otherwise, I fairly well stayed on track with my weekly and monthly Ongoing Red tasks so, February was okay. Not great but okay.

I do have a couple of random photos to offer up about cooking/ baking since that is a main task for this year, the task being to actually get myself to like cooking since doing so is something I pretty much consistently have to do and have never cared for.

Above was for Seafood Wednesday. The shrimp could have been a bit more golden but otherwise, this meal was very good and the only one I remembered to take a photo of all month :)
Below for the goal: Bake twice per month_my father's recipe for brownies which were a hit.

And finally, a photo Aaron asked me to take from, obviously, the TV which he claims, sadly and rightly so, is indicative of our American times.


Le sigh

...we attended, once again, The Silicon Valley Auto Show in downtown San Jose at the McEnery Convention Center.Should you actually bother clicking on the link, I just want to say that while I really enjoy this place, I really can't abide the mosaic on its front. Still, we had a terrific time and I even managed to take a couple of photos so, thought I'd post them here.

Signage out front & a pretty custom car. I always feel a little guilty loving these obviously obsessed-over cars people doll-up, spending stunning amounts of money doing so. But the craft, oh man, the craft is amazing. This is one of the quieter of the 20 or so examples :)


I always try to do this, catch a photo of the fam walking away, they are to the left with David in front with Aaron behind. We are on our way to the Spaghetti Factory where, thankfully, we had reservations because there was a 90 minute wait otherwise. And across the street from McEnery is the The City National Civic Center where conventions took place prior to McEnery being built in 1989. Built in 1936, in that ubiquitous California Spanish-mission style, it was recently and beautifully renovated. Lovely day!
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And sure, you might say, that's all fine and good our finding out about your Weekend Before Last but what about last weekend itself? What fun did you guys have last weekend? Well, we say, we saw The Post at our local theater and so so fine a film it is. Streep & Hanks...just damn!
Trailer below ya'all! We highly recommend.



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Clockwise
          Before_Our old old, years old Nandina and Aagapanthus. The 2 Nandina grew too big over the course of 15 years, although the drought had finally wrecked them, and the 4 Aagapanthus were basically over taken by them. The catus came with the house and, having started to totally decay, was discarded
                    So, we took heavy equipment to them and within a half hour, all 5 were basically gone. At least above ground.
                               It took quite a while longer to have them gone below ground but eventually we had a new canvas to work with.
                                        Our most local nursery, Summerwinds, was/ is having a sale, they're sadly closing our location, so we got very good deals on the replacement plants, 3 Ruby Stella Hemerocallis, 1 Petite Plaum Crape Myrtle, it grows about 5 feet high and 4 feet wide, and 3 other lower growing plants that I forget what are. All 3 types were chosen for their sun and drought tolerance and, natually, their textural differences.


Afer they've grown in a bit, I'll post another photo.
Below I'm just throwing in a couple of photos of our walkway because I think it looks quite nice :)


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Whether coffee, like me!, or tea, sort of like me, soda, not like me, or chocolate, like me!, we all probably take-in a little caffine from time to time. This makes me feel a bit better about doing just that :)

     -enjoy!

From: YouTube Ted-Ed_Over 100,000 metric tons of caffeine are consumed around the world every year. That’s equivalent to the weight of 14 Eiffel Towers! Caffeine helps us feel alert, focused, and energetic, even if we haven’t had enough sleep — but it can also raise our blood pressure and make us feel anxious. So how does it keep us awake? Hanan Qasim shares the science behind the world’s most widely used drug.



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