Got to the crossroads but took the wrong sign

No new writing to report, but sometimes I need a little space between projects - and I've been so good about pacing my schedule that I can afford to take it right now. Besides, it's kind of been a week (or so) of catching up around here - catching up on yardwork and household shopping/maintenance, important business-type stuff, and all that other assorted whatnot.

It's just as well I don't have vacation time, proper. I'd probably spend most of it in the yard, or doing laundry.

* * *

Between yesterday and today in the yardwork category, there was more edging/trimming, plenty of pruning, more weed-pulling and killing, and another round of replacing a patch of those blasted violas in the flower boxes out front, because for some reason they keep dying in little clumps ... no matter what I feed them/how I water them/whatever I don't even care anymore. I've found a comparable flower that seems hardier, and you can barely tell the difference unless you look real close.

So to hell with it.

Also, this afternoon I spent entirely too long yanking pavers out from around the garden, as mentioned in the last post. I've stacked them in the garage, where they can wait until later on - when I'll do a dry-install over where the dreaded pea-gravel trail sits at present.

And why did I do this today? WELL I'LL TELL YOU: I got a phone call this morning from the landscaping guy! He's all caught up (weather be damned) and ready to get started on our retaining walls/patio tomorrow! [:: confetti gun ::] [:: tee shirt cannon ::]

So I pulled the pavers to get them out of his way, and to keep them from getting tossed aside or broken in all the hullabaloo.

I. Can't. WAIT to have the yard structure restored. When the crew is finished, I'll hit up the nursery again in search of some border foliage for the top wall (for safety's sake - hard to describe, just trust me - it'll need a stronger sight-line). And we'll need some patio furniture, too. An umbrella or two, at least. Something under which to sip fruity/boozy beverages.

[:: happy sighs ::]

* * *

Yesterday, the husband and I went over to Eddy and Kenndra's for a most excellent Memorial Day BBQ supper. (You remember Eddy and Kenndra: the kitten fostering folks.) We had to leave Greyson at home, but that just meant we got all the kitten-snorgles to ourselves.

I didn't take pictures, sorry. We were too busy chasing them (and the kids) around and sipping wine over delicious food. Sometimes you just have to put down the camera and hang out.

* * *

Speaking of Greyson, and leaving him at home ... even if he weren't such a whiny-puss about riding in the car, he would've been stuck skipping the BBQ due to his gimpy foot. The paw-problem had seemed better yesterday morning, but then he started chowing down on it - and it got raw and nasty all over again.

Since he'd appeared to be improving, we'd postponed his vet appointment until today - but a text to the doc returned the suggestion of Benadryl, hydrocortisone cream, an old sock, and some duct tape. It went over about as well as you'd expect.



But hey, we gave him about 36 hours of that treatment ... and by the time his doc arrived, his foot was almost completely better. Verdict: allergies. The pills and the cream soothed him enough to lose the sock; and so as long as this regimen works, we won't need the Cone of Shame, either.

I felt a bit silly about dragging the vet out over what turned out to be an easily fixed issue, but in my defense - Greyson's our first dog. We've had cats for fifteen years. If something's wonky with the kitty, we can make a good guess about what's wrong, and we have a pretty good idea of what we can (and can't) do to treat her ourselves. But Greyson? We have no idea what meds are safe, or what might be amiss when he's showing some distress.

So ... oh well.
Erring on the side of caution, and all that.