New Retaining Wall

Our new retaining wall is finished, along with some footing replacements on our old garage. What a difference it makes. After living with dirt washing out of the old wall for a decade, this is a dream come true.

I'm Finally Finished!

Done pitting cherries that is. I've never had a year like this, a month full of picking and pitting cherries, bumper crop! I have two trees, one that blooms two weeks later than the other so they don't all ripen at the same time.

This year I harvested 36 pounds of cherries (pitted), enough for 18 pies! I gave away another 12 pounds, and left a tree full of cherries because I just don't see the need to buy a taller ladder to pick them. My Norpro Deluxe stoner is still working fine, much to my amazement for such an inexpensive gadget. Going to buy another one for backup next year though, I've been using this one for 5 years now.

Chicago Botanical Garden

We were in Chicago for the Wright Plus Tour 2012, and stayed an extra day to visit the Chicago Botanical Garden. I enjoyed this garden as much, if not more, than the Missouri Botanical Garden (which is also phenomenal).