Copy cat

Eli is really into copying sounds that we make. It's especially handy entertainment in the car. Here he is with dad, with his latest sound.

Sledding in June

We kicked off June 1st with some sledding in the yard. Eli loved it! The things you come up with to be outside when your yard is under construction. I found this little sled at our community used toy and clothing sale on the weekend and I have a feeling it's going to be worth every penny. Plus it came in handy to cart around my other purchases at the sale. That place was worse than Costco, if you didn't buy something that caught your eye the minute you saw it, it was gone!

Sod day!

I am very behind on my landscaping posts. Brent has been working like a madman on the yard and he's doing an amazing job. He's my superhero! - with a tan I might add, even a farmer tan is pretty good for May. The new fence is in (just waiting on gates), yard is cleared out, rototilled and graded, dog run is built and filled with rocks, deck base is built, benches are started, stairs are in, trees are planted and tomorrow is sod day. Phew!!!!!!

We decided on an Ohio Buckeye tree for the front, and a maple and lilac for the back. I'm very happy with our choices. We went to Beaver Dam nursery and it was excellent. It's just outside of Okotoks. They were very helpful, had everything we wanted (in pots) and the prices were great. The lilac that we wanted at Spruce it up was $175 on sale for $115, and we got it at Beaver Dam for $78. Pretty good.

I don't want to post pictures until everything is done, but here is a sneak peak at the fence before and after.

8K

Check out my running ticker, I did 8 K last night! Whoo hooo. Lance Armstrong even came on my Ipod and congratulated me, how cool. That's my longest distance EVER. It wasn't too bad, my legs were tired but my lungs were great. 10 K here I come.

Ga ga

As in Lady GaGa that is. Eli loves her music. He claps and laughs, it's too funny. Here he is getting his groove on.

Progress report

My running clinic has started - finally! We ran 6 K our first class which I thought was rather lofty since it's only a 10K clinic. Running more than half the distance seemed like a bit much to start off with. Oh well, it's pushed me to keep up with the group which is not a bad thing right?

I'm happy to report that I have found my route. I discovered a pathway that goes all along Fishcreek. It's beautiful and I don't even have to drive anywhere to get there. I definatley enjoy running in the evening. It's cooler, the sun is not as bright, and it's the time of day I need a break the most. Also, music is of paramount importance. I don't know how people run without music. I get the whole wanting to be alone with your thoughts and all, but music just makes it so much easier. On the topic of music, my ear holes must be abnormally shaped because I can not find a pair of ear buds that fit me. I'm on my 4th set, and no luck. If anyone knows of a great pair of ear buds that stay in, I would love to know about them!! And lastly, although I'm not a fan of tight clothing these days, I admit, they are way more comfortable to run in than my baggy sweats.

Timber!!!!!

Over the last couple of weekends Brent and Jim managed to take down the big Spruce tree out front. The first weekend was spent cutting down the branches and top of the trunk and hauling it away. This weekend they tackled the stump and roots. It was a big job, and the tree was quite thick! Brent counted 41 rings. I wanted to keep this tree, but really it took up most of our front yard and dropped needles everywhere. It made our yard quite unusable. Our plan is to put in a new leaf tree that won't grow to be as big. I've been researching and I think I've narrowed it down to either a Manchurian Ash, Ventura Maple or Schubert Chokecherry. I'm not a huge fan of birds (well, not a fan of them waking me up in the morning), so the berry trees are not my first choice, even though they are very pretty. Lots of pics for you to look at!! Before - it seems wierd to see the snow there.

Here you can see the original tree bed that was put in (in black) and the actual size of the tree bed needed is probably 3 times that.
Step 1 - remove the branches

And we were left with this. The tree had 2 trunks because a previous owner cut the top off when the tree was young.

Then each trunk was cut off and we had this stump left for a week.

The strange flyer lady in our neighborhood rang our doorbell and told me we should carve it into a totem pole. When I told her we wern't going to do that she said she might come steal the tree in the night. After seeing how much work it was to get the rest of it down, I would have liked to see her try!

Over the next week, Brent had to dig out all around the tree to expose the roots. Luckily, Spruce trees don't go very deep, but the roots spread out wide. Then the big climax of taking down the trunk. hahaha

Finally, all the roots had to be sawed in order to be lifted into the trailer. They were super heavy. Not that I know first hand, but the looked darn heavy. And of course, and Eli photo to finish with. Eli supervised as usual.