The Inlaw (well, I’m proudly the Outlaw! Love you, Craigs!) and the Silkman Clan…

…and the Silkman Clan itself…

Love those Three!

Well, I certainly mentioned “Girl Time” and we’ve had it.

Mom has ferreted out all the best antique places in South Tampa – and look at what I found (this is actually only 2 of 6 that I found!!!!) These are the paces of the beautiful Lipizzaner Stallions of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

Which Max and I saw at the New Year’s Eve Performance a few years ago – and yes, we cried, because it was so incredibly beautiful. Those horses are amazing.

These pieces, from the 1930s, are missing The Levade which was the military manuever that put the horse’s body in front of the rider’s in preparation for the death blow of the lance (sad, huh?) – but other than that, they’re all there. If I had to have one missing, it would definitely be that one.

At a different store, I found these sconces – which I love, because there’s no electricity required!

And here’s the result! I love it! Danke, Mutti!

Ah…Cardinal Sanctuary, more like.

That’s a tiny bit of safflower seed, which the squirrels don’t like, and the cardinals do.

Check out the birdbath to the right:

Love it! And I LOVE my yard!!!!

My Grandmother Peggy would be proud.

Edmund, this one’s for you.

You were right.

…we’ll be running this sucker…

Sure hope we’re ready. As I was running 18 with John on Saturday, I shhhhure wasn’t sure.

On the other hand – tomorrow morning I’m running 5, and I’m actually looking forward to it.

Small victories.

I hired Landscape Rescue Man (not his or his company’s name – but what I’ll call him here) who is devoted to Green Practices and I have been so impressed. Our yard already looks better than it did and the new sod’s not even in yet.

Mom and I talked (briefly, due to the crazy phone lines over here) every couple of hours yesterday since it was the work crew’s first day on the job.

Lots of discussion about mulch, bougainvillea trimming, when to touch and when to leave a Crepe Myrtle alone, and how many boxwood plants will make a decent hedge.

There was even talk of fencing and Magnolias! Heaven!

Looking west, before (notice the chinch-bugged lawn)…

And, looking west now,

…and after! Wow!

…and After! You can see the pathetic little heather plants I planted - God Bless my landscaper. He apparently thought they were worth saving. (I think he just didn’t want to hurt my feelings.)

Gone, Baby, Gone.

Here’s our poor yard, looking north. Landscape Rescue Man’s first question to me was a pointed, “So – we’ll be sodding this?”



(Now that I think of it – it was probably more of a declarative statement.)