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While Cathy was away, the boys played!

Cathy went to visit Sarah in New York City. The grandparents basically had Amy and Evan for the entire trip and Noah for much of the trip. That left Tommy and me at the house alone. Tommy, like Freakzoid, gets sucked into the Internet so I basically had the house to myself for duration of her trip minus the time I spent for clients and the time I spent juggling at Boo at the Zoo. So what happened in that time? The yard had a major cleaning of the junk which had been accumulating for a decade. The house received a sweeping and mopping. Then there was this surprise for Cathy:

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My war with Mother Nature – mosquitoes

I really have noticed any mosquitoes in the yard yet but yesterday I fired up the mosquito magnet. 24 hours later, there are already 2 mosquitoes in the trap. Now, the Mosquito Magnet is not a bug zapper. It’s goal is to attract the mosquitoes away from the parts of the yard the humans like but in the process it occasionally sucks up a critter or two into the trap and over time reduces the overall breeding population.

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Seeking Referral – Landscaper/Landscape Designer

Has anyone worked with a decent landscaper or landscape designer in Knoxville? I’m not looking for someone to cut my grass but instead to help design the layout of the yard, help cultivate a thick lush grass in some parts and strategically use plants, ground covers, and shrubs in other parts of the yard. Any recommendations?

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Don’t steal…ask for help.

Last night I learned that someone drove through our neighborhood between 1am and 3am Sunday night/Monday morning looking in people’s cars and stealing easy to grab stuff. For instance, two neighbors both had left wallets on the dashboard and are now sans wallet. One lost a camera but other obvious grabs like checkbooks and radios were left alone.

This is the first I’ve heard of any incident like this since I moved to the house in 1997. It feels like a dry run so I’ve notified the Sheriff and put the neighborhood on a property watch. I hope the crooks don’t return. I’ve got good neighbors. Several are good ol’ boys in the neighborhood would are watching now and we do live in the county.

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The Next Weekend Project – Bathroom

When I bought my house, my father said, "Congratulations, you now have something to do every weekend for the rest of your life." And so it began. Although the clubhouse still requires a roof, floor, windows and a door, timing has prompted us to begin the upstairs bathroom remodel. More than a decade ago, I started the downstairs bathroom remodel and it remains in limbo. If this goes poorly, my family will be living in a hotel.

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Weekend Project – Day 25

I had hoped to have the clubhouse finished by Christmas. We are so close! I have a new obstacle; One of the dogs has taken to chewing the extension cords. I lost a 100′ extension cord that had served me well for 20 years. And yesterday, I lost a 50′ extension cord that I had used once. Looks like I’m going to a totally 18v rechargeable workshop.

We are now officially done with step 16 of 27. Count Amy’s wardrobe changes.

Weekend Project - Day 25Weekend Project - Day 25

And a brief night time attempt that failed to accomplish anything.