After the drought we had last year, my lawn was in some serious need of repair and some TLC. I spead some topsoil and seeded it on the spring, kept ti watered, and about a couple of weeks I had new grass growing, which was good. Then about the middle of July we had a dry spell where temps got up into the 90's. I thought with how good the grass was doing it would just go dormant and as soon as we got a little rain and it cooled back down it would come back. I was wrong.
My backyard is now full of brown patches, and not just the dormant kind, it's full on dead. Just from a week or two of little water. so now I have spread a little more seed and I have started watering it again on a daily basis, but after a week and a half so far, nothing. I am hoping that I get something growing before the end of the year, but if not, I may just go with some sod in the spring to patch it.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Driving Practice
I spent about a half an hour today in a parking lot with Sarah letting her get the feel of driving my car. My thought being that when she gets her learner's permit, it'll be February and it is better for her to get the hang of driving when it is warm and dry than when there is snow and ice on the roads. I thin she has it easy too, because I had to learn on a manual transmission. After today, I shudder to think about what it would be like if she had to work a clutch.
I had her practice just driving in circles, up and down the rows. It was very jerky at first. They taught her in drivers ed to keep both hands on the wheel at all times, so she was trying to keep both hands on the wheel as she turned, which is pretty much impossible. So we had to go over how to go hand over hand and then back as the wheel turns.
By the end our lesson, she was getting better at it. The next thing that we have to work on is keeping it in her own lane when she makes turns. But I think that after a few more times in a deserted parking lot and she has the feel of the gas pedal and how to brake properly she'll have no problem turning into her own lane. I am going to try and give her some practice every couple of days so that by the time she gets her temps she'll know what she is doing.
I had her practice just driving in circles, up and down the rows. It was very jerky at first. They taught her in drivers ed to keep both hands on the wheel at all times, so she was trying to keep both hands on the wheel as she turned, which is pretty much impossible. So we had to go over how to go hand over hand and then back as the wheel turns.
By the end our lesson, she was getting better at it. The next thing that we have to work on is keeping it in her own lane when she makes turns. But I think that after a few more times in a deserted parking lot and she has the feel of the gas pedal and how to brake properly she'll have no problem turning into her own lane. I am going to try and give her some practice every couple of days so that by the time she gets her temps she'll know what she is doing.
Maxwell Street Days
This past weekend was the last one that everyone was free before the start of the school year. Sarah originally thought that she had to dogsit for a friend, so we didn't make any plans, but then we come to find out that Sarah misunderstood and she only needed to watch their dog next Saturday. So that left us with all day and nothing to do. So we decided to head on down to Lake Geneva and check out Maxwell Street Days.
We had never been to Lake Geneva before so Kris and I thought it would be good to drive down and see what it was like there on a weekend. We couldn't have asked for better weather, which meant that all the Illinois humps were up there for the day. It was quite crowded and there wasn't a lot of parking in the downtown area. We had to drive around for a bit, but I finally found a parking spot, though I still needed to pay a meter. I was really hoping to find a free parking lot, but that would have meant walking at least a half a mile back to the shops and the lake.
It was pretty much what we expected, except of course for all the rude, Illinois people. We walked around looking at all the little shops, and the girls each bought a bracelet, but that was about it. And when we got back to the car this was parked next to us.
This was the first Delorean I have ever seen up close. I don't know how anyone could drive one of them, because you are practically lying down inside of it. All in all it was a relaxing day, though not quite how I would have wanted to spend our last free weekend of summer.
We had never been to Lake Geneva before so Kris and I thought it would be good to drive down and see what it was like there on a weekend. We couldn't have asked for better weather, which meant that all the Illinois humps were up there for the day. It was quite crowded and there wasn't a lot of parking in the downtown area. We had to drive around for a bit, but I finally found a parking spot, though I still needed to pay a meter. I was really hoping to find a free parking lot, but that would have meant walking at least a half a mile back to the shops and the lake.
It was pretty much what we expected, except of course for all the rude, Illinois people. We walked around looking at all the little shops, and the girls each bought a bracelet, but that was about it. And when we got back to the car this was parked next to us.
This was the first Delorean I have ever seen up close. I don't know how anyone could drive one of them, because you are practically lying down inside of it. All in all it was a relaxing day, though not quite how I would have wanted to spend our last free weekend of summer.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
End Of Summer Vacation
Well it is almost the end of summer vacation. I know because we just spent an hour at the junior high yesterday standing in line, turning in forms, getting school photos taken, and trying out locker combinations. So since vacation is almost over I figure it is about time to get caught up and start updating my blog again. As Kris pointed out to me last week, I missed all the stuff I usually report on over the summer, the most important being the girls' birthdays. But also in the mix was girl scout camp, the 4th of July parade, the start of cheer practice, and a few other things.
The summer was a hectic one, and with all the things going on with having the bathroom redone, we spent every single day for a month cleaning the house. The dust and dirt generated was unbelievable. But that is finally done so I am trying to get caught up on some other things around the house, most notably finishing up the details with the bathroom, like finishing some paint touch ups. I also have to fix some holes in the walls of the hall where I had to rip out the baseboards and replace them. I also have some yardwork to take care of that has been neglected. And I have a ton of TV to get caught up on. Hopefully things will start to settle down once school starts up again.
The summer was a hectic one, and with all the things going on with having the bathroom redone, we spent every single day for a month cleaning the house. The dust and dirt generated was unbelievable. But that is finally done so I am trying to get caught up on some other things around the house, most notably finishing up the details with the bathroom, like finishing some paint touch ups. I also have to fix some holes in the walls of the hall where I had to rip out the baseboards and replace them. I also have some yardwork to take care of that has been neglected. And I have a ton of TV to get caught up on. Hopefully things will start to settle down once school starts up again.
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