So many projects...so little time!

Kathy's new toy...

...and what it can do!

The trimmer-mower was here!

What Denny and Barbara...

...did on Wednesday!

The driveway was enlarged and a stone walkway added.

No more walking through a sea of mud!

Mike did the back-fill and some grading

as well as the driveway.

More of the grading and back-fill.

Lots of projects going on at The Farm.

Mike was at The Farm this week. He enlarged the driveway and also created a gravel path from the driveway to the front porch steps so that we don't have to walk on the boards anymore. (How nice!) Mike also did the back-fill and grading up around the house. (No more big ruts!) The latches were put on the doors of the crawl space under the porch and the siding on the south side of the house that had buckled was replaced. There is still some buckling on the west side that they worked on and are hoping will straighten out without having to be replaced, and a very noticeable buckle on the piece of siding under the loft windows that hasn't been addressed to our knowledge. The caulking also needs to be applied to the cement siding. Kathy thought Mike had applied it this week and had applied a tan instead of a gray color, but he explained that the caulk on the siding had been part of a partial tube he applied after the siding had gone up and that he needed to purchase another tube and it would be the correct color.

Mike also took care of the siding for the dryer vent and Kathy found the cover for it and got it snapped into place.

Kathy got her new toy out on Wednesday and was pleased that she was able to get it up and running without a hitch. She cut down some heavy weeds east of Bonnie's garden, a few along the road, and a section along the fence row. She had hoped to do more of the fence row today and work in the vineyard, hoeing, putting some taller stakes next to the native vines, and maybe even trying her hand at putting in some earth anchors she bought yesterday, but the weather is not cooperating.

The nicest surprise of Wednesday was Denny and Barbara showing up to work on the drainage issue at the walk-out. For some reason no one had accepted the responsibility for completing that project, and though Bonnie had thought she had someone lined up to do it, and other people had expressed an interest in doing it for us, the work was not getting done.

Denny, a ditch digger in a previous life, took ownership of this project for us and showed up with all the tools of the trade and came up with a plan. He and Kathy jumped in his van and went to pick up the tile, connectors and the earth anchors for the vineyard, and Denny had the trench dug and the project well under way by day's end. Today he brought in some stone and covered the tile he had laid so far before the weather got too bad. Bonnie wonders how we ever got so lucky to have Denny and Barbara for neighbors. Another dinner out might be in order!

There are still some odd leaks. Where the dishwasher was draining into a pipe in the basement it started to spill out and Kathy thinks she has that taken care of. The bathroom sink continues to leak no matter what Kathy or Rex do to it, so that will need to be taken care of. Don't want to have to keep catching drips under a sink indefinitely. And, hopefully, Rex now has the drain hose for the washer because the temporary fix is dripping more each day. Will need to give him a call. Perhaps he has also had time to call Sears and find out how we need to adjust the broiler in our stove so we can use it.