31 July 2011 - Patio's Done!

We went to the farm again this week and helped pick 200 more ears of corn.  Mercifully the heat index was down so it was a much more comfortable job than last week.  We also picked peppers, beans and dug potatoes which the girls went nuts for -- it was like a treasure hunt in the dirt.

Here are the girls with part of Wednesday's harvest.

It's been a long summer of work on the patio, but it's finally done.  I'm very pleased with the outcome.  The area underneath the deck used to just be weeds and dirt, and now it's a shady and pleasant place to enjoy an afternoon.  To finish, I sprayed the concrete with a silver gray epoxy sealant that should keep it looking nice for years and protect it from the winter weather.

The final touch was to add some soil around the edges where the forms for the concrete had been.  I planted grass seed too, so now we have to wait for the grass to grow in for the patio to look complete.

In our ward we have a kind and grandfatherly convert who sadly has no grand kids to dote on, so he dotes on our kids.  He recently took a bus tour of the lighthouses of the Great Lakes and while traveling, found these 3-D puzzles he thought the girls would enjoy.  One is a castle and the other is a horse and carriage, so they've been a big hit with the princesses.  When you finish putting them together, you get to decorate them yourself.