Yesterday afternoon Daryl called from Malad, Idaho to see what we were up to. He and his friend (they’ve been seeing each other off and on since High School) had gone to Malad for an open house associated with his friend’s work. Now I’m not very sure how to spell his friend’s name — it may be Randi or Randie or something that is spelled very differently but sounds like "Randy". So I apologize for the spelling…. Since they were only about 45 minutes away, Nina "persuaded" them to drive the rest of the way here and visit for a while. We had a very delightful visit and it was good to catch up on what was happening in their lives. They stayed until about 9 p.m. and then drove back to Ogden (to drop off Randy) and then on to Salt Lake City (where Daryl lives). I’ve deliberately not used the word girlfriend — perhaps a better connotation is a friend that is a girl. They seem quite comfortable around each other and we think highly of Randy. She’s very bright and fun to talk with. They can come and visit (together or separately) any time they wish. Thanks, Daryl, for the visit!

The fence is now up on the yard. I’ve three pictures of the fence also to add to this post and hopefully enough text so that everything lines up reasonably well. The first picture was taken from the deck looking towards the southwest corner of the yard. I set the self timer and hustled back towards the corner to try and get a better perspective. The fence is about six feet tall and covers most of the backyard. It is set twenty-five feet back from the road on the north to accommodate local ordinances. Never-the-less, the yard is very large with plenty of potential. Just behind where I’m standing we’d like to put in a pond with a waterfall (or two) with bushes and shrubs around. Just what to do with the rest of the yard is still open for discussion. We’ve invited a landscaping company to draw up a couple of plans and suggestions and discuss them with us. Whatever we do won’t happen before next Spring anyhow. We’d like to have a nice garden area that is a complete change from the outside world. We’d also like a BBQ pit with a picnic area. Nina would like to have a garden.

The second image is looking towards the northeast corner of the fence. The clouds hanging over the mountain are visible in the distance. The day I took these pictures was very overcast with occasional showers. One of those showers had ended a few minutes before I went out to take the pictures before it got too dark. You see, Dawnmarie wanted to know why we hadn’t posted any pictures of the fence on the internet! So, Dawnmarie, thanks for the encouragement and here are the pictures. Of course, they’ll probably take a half-hour to download to your computer….

The yard slopes towards the north and the slope is fairly significant. I’m quite curious to see what the landscaping company recommends. Since I fully expect to be here for many more years, it will be a nice way to spend some money to have a pretty and inviting back yard.

The final picture is looking towards the south from the fence line on the north. So far all we have is grass, weeds, a deck, and a hot tub in the backyard. On the south side of the house big machines have been in moving dirt for the past several weeks. They are probably now ready to pave the roadways for an additional 17 houses to be built in this new development section. However, the machines have been digging and moving dirt — the wind has been blowing — and we have dust EVERYWHERE. The fine dust gets into the house, regardless of whether or not all the windows are closed. Keeping the dust under control has been a huge problem and I’m getting tired of having dust and dirt all over everything. It’ll be a big relief to have the pavement done so that all the major earthwork will be finished. That should finally result in a significant reduction of dust.

Another effect of the dust is on the hot tub. The dust and dirt seeps in the seams and muddies up the water. As soon as we return from Europe, I’ll need to drain the tub, clean it out, wash the filters, and replace the water. It is not currently very usable.

Today is Sunday, the last Sunday that we’ll be in Pocatello for the next month. After church we loaded up the car and took Sunday dinner with us to Soda Springs where we visited with mom and dad and had dinner with them before driving back to Pocatello. We enjoy these afternoons and the visiting. They enjoy the company and the food. It means that occasionally mother doesn’t have to cook dinner for her and dad. Dad has almost completed the building of his workshop in the backyard. This week should finish off all the remaining work, which isn’t much. Then he can get his tools and machines set up the way he wants and get on with his woodworking hobby — making lamps. It is a very nice shop! I think he’s going to enjoy working out there as soon as he figures out how to get heat into the building.

No 6 a.m. meetings this week! The earliest meeting is at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Otherwise, I will be going into work at a much more human hour of 8:00 a.m. That will be pleasant! The day is almost finished and I am as well. I’ll read few e-mails and then get ready for bed. Pleasant Dreams!