Sometimes things don't go exactly as planned. Such was the case with our new window. The old wooden window that was original to the house never had leaks, despite the fact that one of the casement windows never shut all the way. Our new window leaked every time there was a driving rain.
They came out three times to try and suss out the issue, but ultimately nothing worked, so they ordered a new center unit and it was installed a few days ago... just before another rain. Actually it was the day that the cinema episode happened in Antioch because one of the guy's wives worked nearby and heard the gunshots.
Luckily no one, except the attacker, was hurt. And the window was also replaced without incident. Now we wait for another driving rain to see if the swap was successful.
Sometimes you just appreciate being alive and even the weeds are pretty.
Mr. Bo-Bo doesn't like it when the Queen goes away, but go away the Queen must. I had a follow-up visit with the girly doctor. It could have all been done over the phone, but I had to take another hour long drive to get there. I arrived early and waited 30 mins while the doctor chit chatted with the office staff and took a call regarding a dog she was attempting to rehome. Like Mr. Bo-Bo... I was not happy.
But before all that, I saw this gorgeous creature. She was at the edge of the woods where not too long ago she would have been concealed by the weeds in the field.
As would these plants.
We have a lot of rock here in my part of Tennessee. Some rocks show lines, some are porous aquifers that filter down to a spring, some stick out and form a canopy. The Queen is fascinated.
And now to the coolest barn ever... some nice child did this for their parents. It's pretty nice to be able to stop in the middle of the road and snap a picture because there is no traffic... I must say.
Someone has a sense of humor. The Queen approves.
After I picked the King up from the airport we went to a fancy schmancy restaurant that was featured on Michael Symon's Burger's Brew and Que. I had hoped we could have the hamburgers, potatoes and coconut cake that were featured on the program, but the burger is only served at lunch and we were there for dinner. Sadness.
So we tried something else... I have to say, we were not blown away by Adele's.
I ordered grilled lamb and it sounded like it would be a flavor explosion... the lamb was served over watermelon, which was interesting and might have been better if the watermelon was actually ripe. Then they put a lemon, pistachio, capers and olive 'relish' on the plate. Somehow that didn't add much flavor at all, and the whole thing needed more salt but there was none on the table. The lamb itself had some sinew that didn't break down on the grill like it would in a stew and even for me it was a little rare.
Not to mention it was LOUD in there... so loud that you could hardly carry on a conversation. So we were disappointed. And you had to valet your car, which seemed unnecessary.
This is what the King and I term "the Bo-Ball." I don't think he can get any smaller.
The Queen was making Banh Mi sandwiches and thought the condiments were rather pretty.
Now there's your flavor explosion! The sandwich was a success and now I can attempt the bbq beef dish I got at the Vietnamese restaurant... I could eat my weight in the meat... no I couldn't... but I could eat a lot of it. The flavor is amazeballs.
Lady Richelieu sister and cousin? And Cardinal Richelieu's tail feathers peeking out from the back of the feeder.
I'm not entirely sure these are cardinals, they don't look like Lady Richelieu, but at the same time they are bigger than the finches that have similar coloring. Perhaps we have yet another new species at the feeder.
And perhaps Cardinal R is a polygamist... hmmm... big love indeed.
Today the King and I started the enormous task of cutting up and repurposing the tree that fell this winter. I had two dominant trunks and my suspicion is there was a lightning strike that caused a crack, that got wet when it rained, and then the water froze and expanded, causing half the tree to fall on our fence.
But I could be wrong.
No matter. However it happened, the result was the same. Tree fall down, tree go boom, fence go crunch.
We had that repaired soon afterward, but the remains of the tree have been sitting there while we waited for warmer weather, then time for the King to get to it, and then cooler weather... Today was not necessarily cool, but it was in the 80's instead of the 90's so we went for it.
In the meantime, the King saw these pretty butterflies in the woods and bade me to come take a photograph.
This is the tree... what's left is very tall and the King is going to have to take it down because this much injury is going to eventually kill it. We would rather choose where the tree falls.
You need us, you need us.
Like a bee needs a buzz.
Like a peach needs its fuzz.
So that's why you need us.
Buzzzzz.
Remember that little ditty?
Well here's a picture of a honeybee anyway.
And after the swallowtail butterflies came this colorful creature.
The butterflies really like this plant. I like it too, but it seems to prefer the shade, so it won't be incorporated into the flowerbed out front.
This is the top part of the tree. Lots and lots and lots or limbs... That was my task, to break these down into a smaller size that could fit into our lawn cart. Then I drove them up to the front to dump them out. We're going to build hugelkultur mounds for gardening and to block the view of our house from the road. It's a trifecta of awesomeness.
This is the first layer. Logs and larger limbs with some smaller limbs on top. On top of that there will be smaller limbs, then yard debris, and finally dirt. We will probably dig out the ditch in front of the house to make it more functional and to provide us with some dirt.
Lawn clippings awaiting their turn on the mound.
Smaller sticks.
They're so neatly stacked...
I leave you with this moment of cuteness... this is a tiny lizard. Enjoy it.
