What to stick in the hole?

Now, we have a patio, we have stone steps ... the dilapidated grill just has to go.
All it really took was a few whacks with a sledge hammer to separate it from the tube in the ground that contained the gas line.

Don't worry - the gas was capped weeks ago!

After that was done, the first thought was, what to stick in the hole?

Three choices: corn, bamboo shoots, enchilada sauce.

Corn doesn't work.

Enchilada sauce wins!

Add some dirt, and...what hole?

Uncovering the Past

In late July, Becky's parents came to visit for the weekend, with no intent on having a lazy, relaxing weekend. While Becky and Mom Franklin were out at a weaving class, Sam and Dad Franklin did some extreme pruning.
See the before picture.
Now check out the after shot: The mass of ivy is gone, and during their archaeological dig, they found stone steps up to the unearthed flagstone patio. Amazing!

It was great that the Franklins could share their expertise on what exactly is living in the yard, and to know what to do with it all. We look forward to having them back!!!

Boo! to Boo Radley

Remember the front of the house? See the scorched earth along the walkway? Notice the unruly bushes? There's even a small maple tree smack dab in the middle of the shrubs. Sam has been scheming how to remedy the yard's aesthetic woes, so the H of B can shake off the Boo Radley House reputation.

This morning we took a trip to Gertens and got a lot of great advice. Sam had researched earlier that we needed to over-seed the dead lawn, which requires fertilzer, soil, and seed. At Gertens, they had exactly what we needed - Minnesota grass seed for 50+ year old lawns. So, today we trimmed back the wilderness in front of the house, patched the lawn, and for good measure, adorned the front stoop with a pot of purple petunias.

It just so happened that a neighbor saw our progress, and after introducing himself, mentioned "it looks like a yard now." Take that Boo Radley!

Meeting our local MFD

We decided to finally follow the suggestions of our home inspector, John Trostle (hear him on MPR Midmorning), and purchased a fire extinguisher, carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors. Crossing one thing off the to-do list tonight, Sam installed the carbon monoxide detectors.

As soon as he plugged in two detectors, an 85 decibel shriek filled the house. Press the reset button! Make it STOP! Bury them! Do SOMEthing! He pulled out the batteries. Why did the alarm go off?? Do you feel sick? Are we getting poisoned? Should we call the fire department?

So, after calling 911 and explaining that this is NOT an emergency, in five minutes a huge ladder truck with flood lights blazing from Minneapolis Fire Department arrived at house. Four fire fighters, one in full gear, checked for carbon monoxide. Then they put the batteries back in the detectors and plugged them into the wall.

No alarm.
No carbon monoxide.
We're not going to be poisoned in our sleep.
Our neighbors probably think we're the new disaster on the block.

Thank you MFD.

Nice Surprise

A great surprise! Mom & Dad Franklin sent us a grill through our neighborhood hardware store. We will definitely use it - especially in spite of the condition of our kitchen.

This dilapidated grill just won't cut it anymore.

Another nice surprise - there is a buried patio of flagstone! Perfect for the new grill.

The Exterior

Rhubarb!

End of an Era

Yesterday we officially moved out of the Uptown apartment, which was a little bittersweet. It was our first place together, where we worked through the growing pains of a new marriage. The cozy neighborhood was perfect for us - we had a lot of fun living there. It will be missed!