To bring you up to date

Well, it has been a while, hasn't it?

Both houses were on the garden tour back in May. We had over 100 people come through, most of them in the first 2 hours (very hot hours!). We prepared handouts on "things to see/know" for the 2 gardens as well as list of favorite things (places, supplies, etc.), since we are not, ah, your typical "backyard garden" on the tour. The handouts seemed pretty well received. After it was over, we were glad to finally not be working constantly in the two yards. Now we just have to keep up with mowing them every 5 days, a chore in itself!

Some of you may remember that last October, Kinder Morgan Inc. announced that it was acquiring El Paso Corporation. That deal closed on May 24, and on May 25, I was one of approximately 500 El Paso employees (across our multiple sites) that was a "Day One" sever, meaning, as of May 25, I am unemployed, a situation far preferable, in my opinion, to being retained by KMI.  I raised my hand to be considered for severance, and, after initially being offered a job doing "something" (not my former job), I got severance. I fully expect many more EP employees to be laid off next year, when they are no longer under the EP severance plan (to say it is more generous than KMI's is like, well, saying that the weather in Houston is not like Portland, OR!).

So, you ask, are we finally fully moved into the new house at long last? My response is just to laugh. Ahem. No. But we are painting again! The final wall of the office has been painted, and we now have a lovely, very pale silvery-lavender room. Roy is pleased. We also have begun painting the master bathroom, having evaluated about 4 different colors, I think, to finally arrive at the current one (not too pink, not too peach, not too ivory, not too...). Despite having the professionals do work in there, I have to fix the air bubbles they had in the texture on the wall above the toilet. Then I can finally paint my accent wall and hang up "wall decor" that I purchased over a year ago for that room.

We've also been installing Elfa shelving in our master bedroom closets, and I think I finally have most of our clothes moved out of the old house, except for the winter clothes stored in SpaceBags.

OH! The piano arrived in April and was tuned a few weeks later. It is very pretty. I should make a post just about it.

We are continuing to apply compost, fertilizer, topsoil, mulch, etc., to the grass at the new house. It is in such bad shape that I think we have applied over 2,000 pounds of stuff to it this year, but it is finally beginning to green up and grow. The new mini-van has gotten used to the indignity of smelling like a barnyard (temporarily) as it has carried the many bags of amendments on the many trips from Lowe's.

I think that gives everyone at least some idea of what has been going on lately. We've just been busy and with the computers still at the old house, I haven't had sat down to write an update lately.