Extra super busy tiring weekend!

   I had a lot of stuff to do this weekend, and then did about 10x what I had actually planned... on Saturday I ran errands (clothes shopping, kayak-accessory-shopping, grocery shopping, and sushi lunch) and was out for several hours. Then I came home and mowed the lawn (enjoying the gorgeous weather!) while I did a load of laundry, then attached my kayak rack to the Rav4, and loaded the kayak just to make sure it worked. I invited Kelly over for a homemade pizza dinner, baked up a storm, and then we watched Anthony Bourdain's new Kansas City episode that aired earlier this week. (He visited Oklahoma Joe's, Stroud's, The Savoy Grill, Cigar Box, Town Topic, Rosedale BBQ, BB's Lawnside, Woodyard BBQ, Dirt Green Farms, tailgated at the Chiefs Game, and saw the Hair Museum in Independence.)
   Today I started working in the yard at 8 am (before I'd even had my coffee!), made a quick trip to the hardware store, planted coleus, weed-whacked the back yard, ate lunch on the front steps and talked to Loren & Champ, and then kept working right up until 1:15, when I had to quickly change and head to Swanson's for Aki's agility class. We spent a couple hours there running like crazy.

   On the way home, we stopped at the hardware store for another load of dirt, and then I worked in the yard for 3 more hours. The dogs sat out on the deck and observed, while chewing a couple of the big "dinosaur" bones (aka beef femur) I had bought for them. I went inside & out, checking on Gypsy and doing 3 more loads of laundry.
   By the end of the evening, I had watered, fertilized, and applied weed killer to the whole lawn, put down 19 bags of top soil to level out the grade (19 x 40 lbs. = 760 lbs.... a LOT to buy, load, lift, carry to the backyard, and dump. But apropos for Earth Day, I moved a lot of earth!). I cut and laid chicken wire over the new dirt, pounding large staples to hold it down—which I HOPE will finally keep Aki from digging, so that grass can grow again. She has been focused on one 4' x 4' spot for a few years, ever since she dug down and discovered an old credit yard. She seems convinced that there's more to find there...

   I weeded the flower beds. Moved some rock. Bought a bunch of perennials and planted them in my flower beds and containers. Mulched. Watered. Thanks to the head start Mom gave me, my yard might actually shape up okay this season!

Happy to be outside:

   After all that, I picked up, put the tools away, and came inside to give Gyp her treatment, give her another new food, feed the dogs, shower, run to McDonald's to get a Filet-o-Fish sandwich for Gyp (she only took 2 tiny bites, so I ate it), finish laundry, read the paper, have a glass of wine, blog, and crash!

Friday & Saturday

   On Friday, I went to work, came home, and Mom helped me load up & drop off a carload of donations at Catholic Charities. Round 1 (of probably 20) of housecleaning complete! To celebrate, we raced south to beat the rain to Heritage Park to give the dogs a run. We laughed at Taylor the idiot as he chased cars up and down the fence line. This boy had some pent-up energy, and rightfully so! No walks when it's raining (I'm lazy).
   No sooner did we get to the far end of the lake, than the ominous clouds finally betrayed us, and we had to beat it out of there. We stopped at Bo Ling's on the way home and walked out with a veritable Chinese buffet. We loaded up our plates & sat on the couch—staying up way too late again watching Mad Men, in a desperate attempt to catch up before Sunday's season premiere... a good effort, but I'd have had to take the whole week off to get there!

   On Saturday we had to be up by 4:30 (yes, that's am. @#%*!!) to get Mom to the airport on time. The dogs rode along quietly, and I stopped at Panera on the way home for my favorite soufflé, then settled in for a long morning of Mad Men season 2, disc 4...

   I wish I had been able to take more time off to spend with Mom, but we (okay, SHE) got so much done in the house, and we had fun hanging out in the evenings. It has been years since everyone has come to KC to visit (we've spent the last few holidays in Ohio or Los Angeles), so it was nice to have a guest for a change.

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, MOM!!!   :D