Catch Up Blog...

So I've got some catching up to do.Last weekend, Cuz, Tara, and Serra came up. Chris and I worked on taxes and CommTech stuff. Then we had cocktails and played pool. Rachel played, too. First time in a while for her as it hurts her back sometimes.



Then on Sunday, we went down to Petaluma because Dolores' sister Terry and her husband Jay were in town. We grilled and hung out and ate and such. Jay brought a video from Easter from when Rachel was around 14 or so. I t was weird seeing her at that age.

Here's Dolores and Terry in the kitchen.











Earlier this week, I tried making Paul's famous Bashed Potatoes. They are yummy. You basically chop up potatoes and boil them for fifteen minutes. Then you take them off and shake the pot around so they get "bashed." Then you drizzle olive oil in a baking dish and drop the potatoes in and bake them at 350 for an hour and a half or so. I think you need to start the water boiling first. I put the potatoes in and brought the water to a boil and mine came out more mashed than bashed.

But they were still yummy. I sprinkled some seasoning on top.




Earlier I mentioned how frustrated I was at the state of my yard. I invested a lot of time and money, including a Bobcat rental and a lot of favors and help from friends in to getting rid of the weeds. We put down landscape fabric and rocks and everything. And I was really angry about it. Jake said, "Yeah, it's kind of disheartening."

Disheartening. And he's 13.

So he and I worked on it yesterday and today. And we aren't done, but we made a lot of progress. You can see the rocks again. The rocks we used the Bobcat to move from the front to the back. And they actually were pretty easy to pull out there as they didn't root, except along the fabric seams. The pond area was harder, but Jake did most of that. And I got the fountain all cleaned up and running in the pond. And the goldfish are still alive. I don't know what happened to the koi, but I suspect cats were involved.



Anyway, the Hotel Yorba yard is coming back to life and will be suitable for croquet and general lounging before you know it.



You can't even see where I wrecked it with the Bobcat last Summer (unless you know where to look and look really hard).

Lauren and Paul are coming up tonight for the weekend. They are going to look at houses and talk to my neighbors about possibly renting their place. I've got a few things to tie up with the taxes, but not much. And unless I can find a couple of thousand more in medical expenses, I think I just need to print them.

Oh, and I start on Monday in the new job. I wonder if it will feel any different. New job, same desk. We'll see.

That's it for now. You stay classy, San Diego.