My, how time flies!

Where did the last six months go? I have not intended to neglect this blog, but good intentions don't write blog entries! I spent much of the summer and autumn in the garden. I have had so much fun playing in the dirt! A photo journal of the garden's progress can be found at http://public.fotki.com/llawryf/new_home/

I created a small fenced in area around the front window, digging another flower bed where the fence would go, and removing more rocks and plastic around the iris and further up the hill. I found a very nice bird bath at Lowe's when I went to buy the fence. The fence was necessary because the upstair's neighbor's dogs were not controlled outside and would leap at my cats in the window. This was causing considerable stress, not to mention some displaced aggression going on with the cats attacking each other. Not one week after putting up the fence, Craig had mangled it with the mower (he was intoxicated...) and I had to go buy two more sections. We won't go into all of my frustration with this "neighbor" over the summer, but suffice it to say that Rick wasn't very happy with things either, and finally Craig was asked to leave. My new neighbors, Jose and Dorothy, have no pets and seem to be very nice, though they keep very much to themselves (which isn't necessarily a bad thing!) And with the help of a product called Feliway, the cats are on speaking terms with each other again.

I found a wonderful garden place in Chaska which had an ongoing "rummage sale" all summer for plants that were past their prime. I got several delphiniums, columbine, balloon flower, carnations, pasque flower, artemisia, hosta, liatris, coneflowers, euphorbia, bee balm, yarrow - all at .99 each. Then Rick dug up several boxes full of daylilies from another rental property for me, and Laurie let me "divide" some of her perennials. Got some more bee balm, sedum, coreopsis, gaillardia, and I can't remember what all! In October I planted over 150 bulbs - daffodils, crocus, tulips, and miniature iris. I can't wait until spring to watch it all bloom!

One of my dreams has been to be able to entertain family and friends. Oh I had the sofa bed in my old apartment and could have my folks, but I always felt it was crowded and awkward. So I was in heaven in July when Becky and family all stayed here for three days on their way to South Dakota to see Mom and Dad. Dawn and Kathy came too! I had the sofabed mattress in the bedroom for Becky and Claire, with Dawn and Kathy on an inflatable mattress. Cash and the boys had two more mattresses in the living room. Okay, it was crowded, but it never could have happened without all the space I now have.

After Dawn sold her townhouse this fall, she gave me her double bed. Now I have two beds in the bedroom, and when Mom and Dad came for Thanksgiving this year, they got a real bed instead of the sofabed. Home improvements have continued the last few weeks with bookcases on sale at Office Depot. I bought 5 white bookcases for the bedroom and have now completely replaced all the old plastic shelves. I have another bookcase for the living room as well, and soon after the New Year I should finally have all of my books out of boxes.

I had a Celtic New Year party the first weekend in November. Friends came out for a potluck meal and an outdoor fire. We roasted marshmallows for S'mores and were entertained by some of the barn kitties that Laurie had recently brought to the farm. They climbed all over everyone, and stole marshmallows right off the sticks! The weather cooperated by being quite unseasonably warm after a very cold October.

By December there were even more barn kitties, including a pair from Laurie's pastor's garage. They hung around my garden instead of joining the other barn cats, and even slept together in a bag of hay I was saving for mulch. As it got colder, one of the kittens began to sit in my front window and cry to come in. Every time I went out, I would say "Go to the barn where it's warm, and there are other kitties," but this one would have none of it. After two weeks of that, I decided she was quite serious about her decision. I warned her that she would not be able to go back outside once she came in, and that she would have to be checked by a vet first, and would get spayed. Still she persisted. Gwendolen has now joined Percy and Lily as an indoor cat. I named her sister Bronwen, but Bron has stayed outside and seems content to be a barn cat. Gwen is about 6 months old, and is very sweet and affectionate. She has not once asked to go back outside. I guess she got what she wanted! Percy and Lily have been okay with it, and all seem to be adjusting nicely.

At the library, we have been through a year of great changes. Frustrations mounted through the summer with the staff stretched very thin. On the plus side, I had lots of subbing! Finally a new librarian was hired in September, and we settled into a new schedule with me working one day a week at the Norwood Young America library. Now we have made it to the end of the year. The budget recommendations for increased staff hours were initially turned down, but a last minute appeal has been successful. I will go from 20 hours a week, to 28 starting in January. In actuality, I have averaged 25 hours a week over the whole year. But this is still a significant increase. I am positively dancing! My car will need a new radiator soon. And I am now getting my colitis medication from Canada since I am no longer eligible for the free program from Proctor and Gamble. It's over $100 a month, but getting it here would cost around $300. Canada has a generic version available, and I am happy to report that it is VERY easy. My doctor faxed a year's prescription, and that was that.

Things are looking very positive going into the New Year! Life is looking very good!