The Butterflies and the Bee
Our five-on-one plum is in full bloom and three butterflies and a bee where out in the late afternoon sun taking advantage of the early bloomer. One of the butterflies was really ragged, which makes me think that these butterflies wintered over and are out early starting on another season.
The Old Folk Kitties
Since the kittens have been getting most of the attention lately, Diné, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern wanted to make an appearance to let everyone know they are doing well.
Upstairs, Downstairs
Now everyone is getting into stair climbing. Leo and Nikita doing upstairs, downstairs. I set a new personal record yesterday with a time of 02:56.66. I've done 16 floors in under 3 minutes, three days in a row now.
Hole-eee, Hole-eeE, Hole-eEE
Locals will most likely get the title. They have been taking out lots and lots of dirt and making a big hole behind the office.
Cats Just Wanna Have Fun
"You wanna come and have some fun in the box?"
Najar seeing if Rosencrantz is going to join in.
In the meanwhile, Spunk is providing some good action.
Spunk scratches in the different areas at the back of the box and Najar attacks.
Surprise attack!
Spunk shaking off Najar's quick jabs.
Rosencrantz tries going a round in the box.
Dragon eyes.
Najar may be a little kitty, but she has a serious set of claws.
Irish Soda Bread and a New Personal Record
Laurie's really good at making Irish Soda Bread. I set a personal stair climbing record for 16 floors in 3:05.65.
The Wall
I've seen the wall from both sides now, from up and down, from all around, and still somehow — I can't believe there was no wall at all.
Tristan, Plastered!
Red Tulips at Sunset
When I left Saturday morning to go work on Tristan's wall, I noticed a red tulip was getting ready to bloom. By the time I got home at sunset, it was closing up again.
The wall project is almost done. We need to texture and paint the new walls, and then do trim around the doors and baseboard, paint the doors, and the new rooms will be ready to use. Of course we had a lot of trouble getting the doors to fit and be square. The header above the door was still 1/2 inch lower in the center where the previous owners had removed the center, load bearing support. We had raised the header about 1.5 inches in the center, but it was still low. After a lot of cutting and chiseling, and a few choice words about the previous owners, we finally got both doors installed and square. Then we finished hanging and taping the rest of the sheetrock.
Crows & Cows
While out on a walk in Corrales I came across some crows and cows.
Cows: "Moooo...oore cowbell?"
Me: "Sorry cows. All I have are cameras and lenses!"
Cow: "Hey! Paparazzo! Wait a minute until we get over there!"
Me: "Hurry up I don't have all day!"
Cows: "So! Do you have any snacks for a couple of poor starving cows?"
Me: "Sorry! All I have are cameras and lenses, and I'm not going to let you eat them!"
Cow: "I think I'm going to cry!"
Moonrise On The Go
The full moon had just come up when I got a drive-by on Coors Road at 60. I figured I could get home in time to get it coming over the peak of the Sandias, but, alas, a crash on Corrales road tied up traffic for about 20 minutes, so by the time I got home the moon was in the clouds, behind the trees.
Landscape & Church
Prints from film of a landscape looking west over the Bernardo Wildlife Preserve in central New Mexico from Highway 60, and the church at Ranchos de las Golondrinas south of Santa Fe, NM.
Spunk in a Spot
Spunk got himself in a spot and was stuck. I got him down, but then he climbed back up and was all proud of himself. The problem was, I didn't get him down the second time. In trying to figure it out he fell down — he hasn't climbed the security door again that I have seen.
Blue Dawn
All the snow is gone, and the dawn was blue.
I spent most of Sunday building a partition in one Tristan's rooms. The room was originally two bedrooms, but the former owners removed the interior wall and the center support that held the doors into each room in order to make one large room with a double door entry. The walls they removed were load bearing and the ceiling had deflected by at least 2 inches, and water was ponding on the roof. When I set up the 8 foot high frame, it was propped at a good angle between the floor and ceiling — we had to sledgehammer the bottom of the frame, moving it 12 inches to get it up-right and level, which pushed the roof up the 2 inches it had sagged. When we went out to get the first piece of sheet rock to hang on the frame, lots and lots of water was running off the roof.
I also had the tear out all the framing they had added after they took out the original doors in order to replace the center support in the doorway and have the correct measurements to fit two 32" pre-hung doors.