Monday, September 3, 2007
Lighting Up the Night
Lately, we've been able to enjoy the patio much later into the evenings, thanks both the fire pit (a terrific Christmas gift from Mom and Bill last year) and the new chandelier.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Good News, Bad News
The good news is that we’ve had so much rain lately, the Twin Cities is more or less out of the drought.
The bad news is, well, you can have too much of a good thing.
The good news: Lawns all over the metro are green and lush like you’ve never seen in August. Look at the photo below! So loverly.
The bad news: Thanks to the rain and lack of sun, my tomatoes are either cracking (and then rotting) or just plain not ripening at all. They’re just these hard little green balls sitting on the vine, mocking me.
The good news: Birch trees, like the one we have out front, are notoriously fragile and drought-susceptible, so they’re loving the rain. Our tree is probably healthier and happier than it’s been in many a summer.
The bad news: Remember when I was all worried about having too many tomatoes? Not really a problem at the moment. In fact – and I’m sooooo pissed about this – we had to buy tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market last week!
The bad news is, well, you can have too much of a good thing.
The good news: Lawns all over the metro are green and lush like you’ve never seen in August. Look at the photo below! So loverly.
The bad news: Thanks to the rain and lack of sun, my tomatoes are either cracking (and then rotting) or just plain not ripening at all. They’re just these hard little green balls sitting on the vine, mocking me.The good news: Birch trees, like the one we have out front, are notoriously fragile and drought-susceptible, so they’re loving the rain. Our tree is probably healthier and happier than it’s been in many a summer.
The bad news: Remember when I was all worried about having too many tomatoes? Not really a problem at the moment. In fact – and I’m sooooo pissed about this – we had to buy tomatoes at the Farmer’s Market last week!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Crazy Photos
The Awesome NeighborsTM just upgraded to a new digital camera in advance of their vacation to Yellowstone and were taking some practice photos in the backyard last night. Evidently, one of the features is the ability to have the subject in the foreground show up in black and white, while the nearby background is in color -- "Just like in Schindler's List," as it was explained to me. Take a look.
The camera also takes amazing photos at night. Here's a photo of Tim taken in almost complete darkness, and look how well it came out -- crazy!
The camera also takes amazing photos at night. Here's a photo of Tim taken in almost complete darkness, and look how well it came out -- crazy!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Monday, August 20, 2007
Let There Be Light!
I've been doing some on-again off-again ruminating all summer on the subject of outdoor lighting. I like the little solar lights we have along the edges of the beds, but while they're pretty, they emit very little usable light. And given how nice the patio can be at dusk, it would be great to have a lighting option that doesn't require a fire in the firepit.
Somewhere (I don't remember where, but I don't think this was an original thought of mine), I got the notion to find an old chandelier, wrap it in outdoor Christmas lights, and hang it in the tree closest to the patio. M and I chatted about whether other options would be easier or more practical, but as the Cathy/Harvey engagement party approached (which was, in theory, going to be outside), we knew we wanted to get something done on this topic.
So I found a $20 chandelier at the ReUse Center, bought some black chain and a hard-core extension cord, and with lots of help from M and Awesome NeighborTM Tim, it all came together beautifully! You can just see the glow of the lights in the upper-right corner of the first photo below, with close-ups in the other two photos.
The photos look a little odd, but during the day, you barely notice the chandelier at all -- it's tucked up in the branches a bit. But at night, it gives off this gorgeous ambient glow. Even Tim and M -- not terribly likely to be awe-struck by outdoor decor -- were really impressed. Thanks for the help, guys! :)
Somewhere (I don't remember where, but I don't think this was an original thought of mine), I got the notion to find an old chandelier, wrap it in outdoor Christmas lights, and hang it in the tree closest to the patio. M and I chatted about whether other options would be easier or more practical, but as the Cathy/Harvey engagement party approached (which was, in theory, going to be outside), we knew we wanted to get something done on this topic.
So I found a $20 chandelier at the ReUse Center, bought some black chain and a hard-core extension cord, and with lots of help from M and Awesome NeighborTM Tim, it all came together beautifully! You can just see the glow of the lights in the upper-right corner of the first photo below, with close-ups in the other two photos.
The photos look a little odd, but during the day, you barely notice the chandelier at all -- it's tucked up in the branches a bit. But at night, it gives off this gorgeous ambient glow. Even Tim and M -- not terribly likely to be awe-struck by outdoor decor -- were really impressed. Thanks for the help, guys! :)
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