Quiet River Raging

Busy busy busy...

( yardwork )

Yesterday afternoon's level of activity has continued into today here at work.
( work work work )

OMG OMG OMG!!!!!

( ZOMG, only FIFTEEN days and a wake-up left to Scotland!!! )

Basically, I'm ready. I have a few things to do before I leave, like some house-cleaning, mail and paper holds, writing checks for the petsitter, and arranging for grass-cutting whilst I'm gone. I need to make sure that all my electronic equipment/computer stuff is turned off AND unplugged. And a few other little tasks.

Almost time, almost time...

( Ahem )

Thank you. We now return you to your regularly scheduled LJ.

The past couple of nights I've gone to bed at reasonable hours (Saturday at 10:30 - I worked at the store until 9:30 - and last night at 9:00). I lie down, get comfortable, close my eyes, relax, slow down my breathing, and - nothing. Even taking a dose of Tylenol PM wasn't effective last night. I got up yesterday and this morning feeling somewhat rested, but not really awake. This morning I'm just kind of in a fog. I can barely type a complete sentence without making a typo somewhere and having to go back and fix it.

Gonna be a fun day. *yawn*


Yesterday I was in F'burg at 8:45 to take a "medal test" for Highland dance. My dance teacher and another teacher in the area arranged for a woman from the British Association of Teachers of Dancing to come over from Scotland and evaluate both the dances themselves and demonstrations showing understanding of the terminology used (ie. "Show me 4th rear aerial position."). I decided to try out for the bronze medal, which meant that I had to do the fling and the sword dance. Bear in mind that this was not a performance or competition, but a test.

Suffice to say that my nerves made an impact on my dancing. :-b Yes, I made mistakes in both. I just completely blanked out on one of the fling steps and I lost count during the first step of the sword. However, I did find my place in the music both times and managed to finish both dances. I'll find out how I did tonight when I go to class. Provided I passed, I'll get a lovely, suitable-for-framing certificate and a bronze medal.

After the medal testing, I went to the Home Depot and spent money on soil, mulch, compost, flower bulbs (tulips, crocuses, and irises), and two large buckets of fall mums, went home and did some yard work. The flowerbed in front of my house is now completely redone and LOADED with bulbs, and the two wooden planters I bought last year are home to the mums.

Good weekend overall, but too short. Plans for next weekend (which includes Friday) will feature trips to the gym, grocery shopping, home cleaning chores, and spending Saturday at the Highland Games in Richmond. Bagpipes! Dancing! Men in kilts! :)

I'm done! I'm done! I'm done!


( flagstone laid )

( in the homestretch )

( ALL DONE!!! )

I still have a lot of flagstone left (like, enough to do another 65 foot walkway) and about a third of the gravel. Fortunately, I have plans for both, so everything will get used. I'm so excited! This was the first major home/garden project that I tackled on my own and I'm really pleased with the results. Yay!

I'm not sure that I can adequately express just how tired I am right now. It was a very productive weekend in terms of yardwork.

( Tree-hugging, dirt worshipping activities here... )

I managed to get the base of the birdbath out of the car, into the backyard, and into the spot I wanted to put it in, ALL BY MYSELF. And without throwing my back out, too! It had been set on a tarp in the back of my car, so all I did was drag the tarp out of the car and into my garden cart, which had a bag of mulch in it for cushioning. The hardest part was wheeling the cart into the backyard. So here it is, all set up and ready for customers:




And another view...