Raspberry Jam

On Alyssa's last day at home, we made Raspberry Jam.

16 cups of raspberries and 14 cups of sugar later and, voila!

Natural, organic, and homemade. Made with real raspberries picked from our backyard.....this morning. Yum.

The Oval Office and The Politics of Demolition

Ha! I'll bet that that got your attention!!

As I was vacuuming this morning, I came upon Sasha in the entryway. She, of course, was not interested moving, so the phrase 'Oval Office' popped into my mind.

And politics really have no part in the deck demo, but I thought that I'd share some photos, anyway. The deck is undergoing a makeover/transformation/whatever due to the previous owners building it without tools or a level. It was plain dangerous. Sooooo, the lower deck is being completely removed and rebuilt as a platform-type structure. Stairs will not be required, and the view will not be compromised. The steps to the upper deck (off of the kitchen) are being eliminated, so it will be somewhat of a balcony rather than a deck. I wish that we would have the money to use plexiglass panels instead of the traditional railing, but that's how it goes. As you can see from the photos, Ginger enjoyed being out there so much that I put her blankie outside. 'The better to see the squirrels with.' Spoiled dog.

My job was removing and stacking all of the loose boards so that we can reuse the wood.

This is what it looks like today:
It's a little harder getting to the squirrels.

The raspberries are growing like crazy. Unfortunately, the bears are enjoying them, as well.

Alyssa's New Car!

Okay, I've waited a week for Alyssa to add the text to these pictures. That's long enough. She can write about it when she gets back from her Luther Point Reunion, but, for now, you will have to be satisfied with the photos: