NH Foliage Tour
Enjoying the gorgeous autumn colors in my new state.
Kristina and I went in search of some good foliage views.
Sadie's Crown
Well, she's officially a princess now... crown and everything. Except this one goes on her tooth and not her head.
Well, she's officially a princess now... crown and everything. Except this one goes on her tooth and not her head.
Sadie's cracked tooth.
Dopey after surgery.
Maddox and I hung out at the Acton Arboretum while Sadie was in surgery.
Edible Garden
Growing a colorful plate of vegetables.
Between the vegetable garden and herb garden, my plate is very colorful.
Oregano
Squash blossoms
Kale
AC Window Insert
I replaced the broken plastic insert.
My floor-standing air conditioner came with flimsy cheap plastic to direct the vent hose out the window. When that broke, I had to fabricate something new.
Trellis
Upsized trellis for the growing clematis.
The clematis at the front door is so healthy that it has outgrown the small trellis there. I bought a set of five trellises, and set them side-by-side. When they still weren't tall enough, I used 1/2"-diameter pipe driven into the ground to prop them up another foot. The result is a curtain of vines with purple flowers all summer long.
Winged Visitors
This month spring saw lots of nature.
This spring, a number of nature's creatures hung out in my yard.
This beautiful creature lived in my yard for several days. An image search leads me to think this might be a Polyphemus moth.
Outdoor Dining Set
Perfect outdoor dining set
I love my new dining set! The seats have a swivel/rocker base, are squishy without absorbing rainwater, and have a circular base that won't sink into the grass.
Bonus: solar-powered LEDs built into the umbrella!
Wine Shelves
Sidebar and floating shelves for the dining room.
The closet from the small bedroom carves out an awkward zig-zag in the dining room. Adding a sidebar and floating shelves helps smooth out the flow of the room.
Dining Room Paint
Picking the right green was easier said than done, but now that the dining room is painted, I'm happy with it.
Turns out, choosing the right green is a real pain in the ass. Behr's Wheat Grass looked great in my neighbor's breezeway, but ended up looking like pea soup in my dining room. Then there's too-minty, too-olivey, and too-grayish.
I ended up choosing Glidden's Sandarac Sage... I based it on the color of my cute little countertop compost bin.
Sadie and the Vacuum
Snow melt has revealed twigs that must be shredded all over the carpet. It's like Sadie knows I've just cleaned, and has no tolerance for it. The upper right fang-bearing pic shows the face she makes when she's rolling something around on her tongue.
Snow Gear
A new meaning of the phrase 'dog shelter'
Keep in mind that we'd only been outside in this 20-degree day for... I dunno... SIX MINUTES. I had shoveled paths around the yard, and apparently they all lead back inside. Where it's WARM.
I massage Musher's Secret into the pads of their feet to prevent cracking and dryness, salt injury, and wadding of snow in-between Sadie's toes.
I finally broke down and ordered Sadie a full-body waterproof shell to avoid the snowball-butt woes. For anyone who's interested, this is Hurtta's Slush Combat Suit, size 22".
Snow Pile-up
Big snow landed on my house.
With 4 feet of snow sitting on my roof, I decided it was time to call in some help. These guys climbed up there in the snow and spent a few hours safely pushing my snow to the ground.
New Bed
The new California king bed frame.
I've been eyeing this Pottery Barn bed for years, and it just went on clearance. I don't like next year's model as much, so I jumped at the chance to buy the previous model at a steep discount. And of course the matching nightstands. And lamps.
Next: upsized mattress to match.
Snuggly Maddox
Maddox got scared by the noise of the plow last night, and she was able to calm down only once I wrapped her up under the covers with me.
K9K8 Year In Review: 2014
This year my girls are getting settled into their new home, and getting to experience a New England winter! I clear paths for them through the deep backyard snow and bundled them up for romping in the trails out back.
Anxious for the spring thaw
Enjoying the yard now that the snow is gone. Sadie prefers the shade, and to look out from her perch on the deck. Maddox zonks out in the warm sun.
Peter appeared to be practicing the standard dog butt-sniff greeting, but actually just likes the feel of Sadie’s tail as it brushes across his face.
Girls get a dog door today! I’m so excited to give them the freedom to enjoy the yard whenever they want.
Maddox greets Amira with a long howl.
Read about our trip to Provincetown… these kiddos love the beach!
MMMmmmm… something good and stinky must live here.
Sadie and Maddox check out the new dog play area, complete with home-made agility equipment and a digging box.
My Little Lookout
Fall Fun at Tower Hill Pond
Maddox warms up by the stove in the office.
Sadie watches out the window from the new office couch.
Girls in the office.
Now that I’ve moved my work-at-home office into the walk-out basement, I love that my girls have a cozy couch to snooze on during the work day.
Girls out for a hike.
Riggings visit
All. The. TOYS!
Curtains
The hexagonal blinds gave me privacy of the last year, but I was ready to actually dress the windows.
The honeycomb blinds gave me privacy of the last year, but I was ready to actually dress the windows. Since this bedroom has five windows and a door, I packed up a giant wad of coupons and headed to Bed Bath and Beyond.
Gear Closet
Under-the-stairs closet is now put to use storing outdoor gear.
Under-the-stairs (a.k.a., "Harry Potter") closet is now put to use storing outdoor gear.
Holy Switchplates Batman
I like my light switches boring to look at, and nerdy awesome.
I like my light switches boring to look at, and nerdy awesome. These are getting replaced with Lutron's plain white, screwless plates... most of which can be controlled by Siri.
Dog Door #2
The first is so indispensable that we want a second dog door at the bottom level, too.
After seeing how easy and fun it is to cut holes in my house, I managed the second dog door on my own. This one was higher off the ground, and has the stump of a bush underneath it. (The stump grinder guy couldn't get in between the house and the rocks.) So, no problem... I built a small temporary step. Eventually I'd like a nice slab of granite... but this does the trick for now.
