Mother nature's contributionl

Last fall as we regraded the back yard I spread mulch and wildflower seeds to provide erosion control.  They are now glorious.

I wish I'd kept a copy of the package that said what was in the seed mix.  First to Blume were a red clover and orange poppies.  Then red poppies and bacheor's buttons.  For a while we had a politically appropriate segregation of red and blue flowers.  Now that's been joined by a sea of pink and purple.  

As I've weeded out the undesirable burr clover and hitchhikers, I've noticed a lot of lady bugs and bees.  And we have woodpeckers nesting in our tree in front for the second year in a row.  We're starting to get an ecosystem.

Ian's progress

As I've been sanding the ceiling.  Ian has been hard at work on other odds and ends. 

He's built plinths for the posts in the entryway, that are ready for low voltage footlights and tile.

And he's made progress on exterior power.

Oh what a feeling, when you're sanding on the ceiling!

For most of April we were busy building a platform over our stairway so that we could reach the ceiling.

Then for most of May as much of the weekends as I can handle have been sanding the ceiling.  We want a beautiful wood ceiling.  But our contractor didn't handle the lumber well so it's dirty,  stained, and written on with sharpies.  But sanding removes the dirt, sharpie marks, and most of the stains.Its hard on my shoulders and lower back, so I do what I can each weekend.

I hope to finish this weekend so we can move on to the next phase.  

Note the darker unsanded wood on the left, and the lighter sanded wood on the right.