A Weekend Made for Work Outdoors

The crazy warm weather continues in the Omaha area so it shouldn't come as a great surprise that we spent the bulk of our Saturday outdoors.  Add in a few visitors, and we had quite a fun day!

Our niece Lauren was in town during her university's spring break to enjoy The Hunger Games movie premier with three sorority sisters.  We were happy to have her crash on our couch for a couple of days.  I put her in charge of babysitting Leo while he enjoyed some adventures outside.

Leo continues to explore the yard though Saturday he seemed particularly interested in a corner southwest of the house.  Side note:  look how tall that grass is already; it's only March, for Pete's sake!

 Lauren was a real trooper; as long as she had her phone in her hand, she was happy to babysit.

My mommy and daddy, Ray and Jolene, visited on Saturday, too.  Dad was anxious to get to work - so Scott and my brother, Tim, found a few tasks to tackle.  They cleared out an old row of fencing, burned a bunch of tree limbs, and took out the three clothesline poles.

 Hi, Mommy!  Thanks for letting me take your picture!

Tim and Dad took turns digging around the clothesline poles.

Tim hauled a clothesline pole to the fire pit for disposal.

 

The space north of the existing kitchen is going to be utilized for the new garage.  With that in mind, we relocated some of the iris and sedum (sharing some with Jolene and Marita) and Scott and Tim then tore some of the concrete.  The broken concrete was hauled in the Ranger to the drainage culvert along the driveway.  

Now that the drawings are done, Scott finally got to enjoy the great outdoors! 

Tim and Scott added the concrete chunks to the culvert.

The challenge of the day was removing the old flagpole.  It was encased in concrete 3 feet deep.  After digging around the core, Scott tried to use the Ranger's winch to pull it out.  Finally, Tim used "Shirley", his trusty Chevy truck to get the job done.

An added bonus:  Teresa brought Karli and Clark out to check on their daddy.  

It's always fun to have these two hanging around noTTafarm.  Karli enjoyed spending time with cousin Lauren and Leo though I think she saw enough spiders to last her the rest of the year.  Clark has grown three inches taller since we saw him in late January.

 Later in the afternoon, Carl and Marita arrived for a visit.  We had such a nice evening, eating dinner and enjoying a great end to a beautiful Saturday.  It was nice to be back in the swing of things!

Stay Tuned for Our Next Adventure!

 

Hallelujah! The Drawings are Done!

Wednesday, March 21st at 12:04AM, Scott finished the drawings for the new addition!  As you know, he has been working on them pretty much non-stop since November.  He hasn't had any free time to work on projects in the existing house or to work outdoors.  The next step is to print twenty sets of the drawings (I think there are about 30 sheets in total) and get them to the contractor.  I will keep you posted, of course.

In the meantime, have a happy day!

"When Harry Met Sally" - - noTTafarm Style

Friday, March 16th was a particularly beautiful day with highs in the low 80s and a nice breeze...certainly not typical for Omaha in mid-March!  Once we got home from work, Scott and I decided to treat Leo to a little outdoors time.

 Leo loves rolling around on the concrete!

Little did we know that "danger" was lurking nearby . . . 

 Yikes!  It's Bibbers!

Leo and Bibbers had heretofore only spied on each other through the windows.  We were nervous about what may transpire if they ever met nose-to-nose.  

Leo seemed to take the subservient role right away, showing his famous "splayed leg" pose to his new buddy.  They mostly just stared at each other, with a few low growls here and there.  

After about 10 minutes of this type of re-positioning, there was a brief chase and a tiny scuffle...and then Leo decided it was time to go inside.

This encounter may not lead to a lasting love story but we do hope that Leo continues to learn how to be a good part-time outdoor cat.

Quite an Adventure for Our Two Orange Kitties!

Springing Ahead at noTTafarm

Signs of Spring have arrived!  

The daffodils and crocus are popping up around the yard, and tiny slivers of green grass are beginning to show.  With a forecast of 70+ degree days this coming week, we are anxious to get outside and enjoy our beautiful home.  Scott continues to work on the construction drawings for the addition but he plans on being finished by mid-week.  Hopefully, next weekend's posts will return to their former glory with some details about something more interesting than the grass turning green.

Stay Tuned for More!

Planning Moves into Overdrive

On Friday, March 2, Scott and I met with our general contractor, Terry, to discuss the planning progress.  As you know, Scott has been working day and night on the construction drawings.  His hard work paid off; Terry was impressed with the level of detail Scott presented.  The next step is:  more drawing!  Scott needs to create an electrical plan, a site plan, and button-up some other loose ends over the next two weeks.

Once the plans are done to Terry and Scott's satisfaction, Terry will hold a pre-bid meeting for his subcontractors.  They'll present their best bids, Terry will work up a final cost, and then file for a building permit.  As we stand now, the groundbreaking could take place as early as mid-May!

Stay Tuned for More News!