Greenhouse

A greenhouse!! I've wanted one of these for a long time. Shortly after my birthday this year, Elliott gleefully informed me that one would be arriving by post very soon. He had ordered it off the Internet, and it came all the way from Washington State. It arrived prefabricated but unassembled, all very neatly packaged and labeled. We carefully unwrapped many dozens of pieces: wooden frames, plastic parts, several sizes of screws, bolts, washers, and other fasteners and hardware. Elliott laid all these out on the barn floor and we realized it was going to take hours, if not days, to construct the thing.

In a brief moment of madness, I offered to help build it with him. Mostly because I knew he'd try to do it himself, and having already caught him at the top of a ladder, dangling over 12 feet of empty space while installing a light fixture by himself last week, I figured it'd be better if I were there at least to lend moral support and try to break his fall if he teetered off the top rung. Little did I know that I would be learning how to use a band saw, a radial saw, a table saw, and two kinds of drills. At one point, mom came over to check on our progress and take Lusso for a walk. Instead, she helped us put up the back panel - which was 3/4" plywood - no small feat!!

My hands are so sore I can hardly type, but I suspect I'll just have the pleasant memory of building this little greenhouse each time I feel the aching in my joints. So no laundry, grocery shopping or house cleaning got done this weekend. But we did build a greenhouse! Let the pictures tell the story.

Ariel runs Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon!

Today, we woke up early to drive over to Dexter, and see Ariel run the Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon. Elliott and I had all kinds of fun. We took Lusso along, who barked, sang and howled as crowds clapped and roared, cheering the runners on. It was a great morning, topped off with breakfast at the Lighthouse Cafe in Dexter afterwards, with the Raupagh Clan.

Furtwangler Revisited

The Furtwangler has gained a couple of pounds and seems to be reveling in the Michigan winters. Little exercise, good treats, and a doting family have, shall we say, greatly enhanced the Weighty Weenus's neck fluff. Fluff being another word for "blubber." Our thickset little terror has perfected his begging skills. Now, the corpulent cur has learned a new trick to effectively solicit the most savory treats: he stands on his hind legs, his meaty midsection anchoring his stance, and looks up with mooning, sorrowful, hungry eyes. At least, that's how I interpret The Look. How did he become such a tubby tail-wagger? Watch this video.