Planning Ahead - Sharon Arrives on Thursday

One last day of working today, and then I'll be off until next week Tuesday. Wednesday will be housecleaning, Thursday will be more housecleaning followed by picking Sharon up at the airport, which will then be followed by Fair Mayhem for three days, a Renaissance Fest experience with Sharon, DH and Chickie for one day, a return trip to the airport next Tuesday morning, and a sad wave good-bye to Sharon for another year. Thus will pass another year's visit from my BFF from Denver, but there's so much to look forward to in the next few days. Still - my primary goal beginning tomorrow is finishing my housecleaning. So important!

I'll be a whirlwind tomorrow and Thursday morning. The house
isn't bad, but I still need to vacuum and set up Sharon's bedroom. 

We've been having more rain - not super intense thunderstorms, but plenty of the wet stuff. DH is trying to figure out ways to disperse the water from the downspouts so as not to destroy the landscaping work he's already done. There are more rocks on the horizon, although I think these are going to be quite different - rough-shaped pavers in odd shapes and sizes to help keep the water away from the soil. We've been trying a variety of river rocks, but the power of the water scatters them away from the drainage. We need something larger and much heavier.

DH is thinking some flag stones might help with water dispersal as
well as create some nice pathways. He might drive out to Patio
Town today to take a look at what they have and get some pricing. 

I'm heads-deep into researching trucks for DH. I want something purchased before the end of September. I'm not 100% sure if that's his timetable, but it's mine and I'll push hard to get this accomplished. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what he wants, but it'll happen. We're getting close to being on the same page. Right now I'm focused on the Toyota Tacoma, but I'm also checking out the Ford 150 and Chevy Silverado. One of the most important things is whether or not the truck will actually fit into the garage. Apparently having a total length measurement is impossible, and it's taking me a lot of hunting to get some firm figures. I don't need to buy a truck and then find out it's six inches too long for the garage.

Almost every day now I'm getting one to two handfuls of
cherry tomatoes from my two little tomato plants. We weren't
sure if they would bear, given their location, but they are
doing very well and I'm enjoying lots of fresh tomatoes
on my nightly salads. 

But I'm entering the end of summer in relatively good shape. My tomato bushes are producing wonderful handfuls of cherry tomatoes, the grass is filling in nicely across the back yard, the sod is a question mark, but we may pull it all out and build terrace walls on that end to mirror the walls of the main yard. I don't think he could manage that this year, but he may try to get a good start on it. You never know, though. DH can be a driven man when it comes to protecting and designing his landscaping.

Two years ago, in 2016, DH built the original castle walls and
steps in our back yard. It was the beginning of a multi-year project
to bring the lower back yard into a welcoming area in which
to spend time. Now he's thinking of making similar, but
taller, walls on the far side to help with our waterflow issues.
I'm not sure he could get that done this
year, but it's well within next year's timetable. 

So today I'll pack and tag and process the shipment that came in yesterday. It was the final large shipment of the year and we should be in good shape for the upcoming holiday season and the beginning of 2019. But after today, I'm going to refocus for a week of no customers, and that will be a total relief. I adore helping my customers have successful projects, but sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming. Now ... off to the pool, then on to my day. I hope you have a tremendous Tuesday and I'll return tomorrow.