Tree Status - not so good...

Oh no... apparently the pretty colors were a result of advanced stress. It has turned brown and crunchy as quicly as it turned goregous golden. We've been told shock is common; but did it have to hit the biggest, prettiest one?? Fingers are crossed that it comes back green in the spring.

The two quaking aspen on the side yard were also shocked - they turned brown and crunchy as well. As of yesterday though, both of those have brand new baby green leaves - phew. Sadly, just in time for the weather to change - the leaves won't survive, but the trees should be just fine now :)

Backyard 6 days later...

The gorgeous Sienna Glenn changed colors already!! It's only been a few days since it's been in the ground - I'm glad we got in time to watch it change. I can't wait til this thing is 40 feet tall and doing this.

Beginnings of a Backyard

We have finally put the time necessary into the backyard to get a good start. When we originally purchased the house we were given two vouchers for the yard; one for sod and irrigation, and the othe for trees and shrubs. In theory, this would have made the project affordable and easy.. but alas, we drug our feet on the project and paid the price for it. It took us nearly a full year to determine how large and what shaped deck we wanted; and another 6 months to bid it out and have it built.

We spent the first blizzard winter with a dirt backyard, and a dog who had to be taken out front to go potty. The second year, we had only a deck and a dirt back yard, so we quarantined Two Dogs now, to the side yard which was lined with erosion matting to try to control the mud. It worked reasonably well until Hallie tore most of it up. We accomplished this much last fall. So when the yard thawed this year, we were eager to get rid of the mud pit. The sod company was here early in the spring to lay sod over the irrigation they had installed the previous fall. But when I called the tree farm to inquire about a sale sign out front they notified us that they were having a liquidation sale and would no longer honor our $2500 voucher - OUCH! This put an awful big damper in the motivation and plans. Thankfully, as fall has approached again this year, another local tree farm (mind you, one that I drive past twice a week between daycare and work, and have admired for the size and selection for quite some time) threw up a sale sign 50cent Tree Sale.. doesn't take too much more than that to draw me in. And so after several trips to scout, hours of research online, and an evaluation for their consultant...we finally have trees (and a few shrubs)!!

The next obstacle came in the planting phase.. we have extremely dense clay dirt here in Colorado; our yard is no exception. It took nearly 2 weeks to dig all of the holes. Mother nature was kind enough to dump rain the day before our scheduled delivery; making the clay even more dreadful. This is a picture of the biggest hole in the yard (5 feet x 18 inches)... full to the brim.

We were thankful, the Tree Farm allowed us to delay our delivery date. I was thankful Sam was willing to bail water... A week later, the trees arrived: 1x Sienna Glenn Maple, 1x Armstrong Maple, 1x Winterking Hawthorne, 1x Thunderchild Crabapple, 3x Swedish Aspen, 3x Robin Hill Serviceberry, 2x Quaking Aspen... 12 trees in all.

The Sienna Glenn Maple

The Quaking Aspen and Armstrong Maple

The Swedish Aspen with Serviceberry's hiding in the background.

The Winterking Hawthorne

The Serviceberry's

The Swedish Aspen again, with a few scrawny Russian Sage - should be goregous next year.

200 Have and Have nots

I abducted this from Kerri’s blog… it seemed like a great starting point…

All you have to do is copy the list and bold what you have done.

200 Have and Have nots

1. Touched an iceberg
2. Slept under the stars
3. Been a part of a hockey fight
4. Changed a baby's diaper
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Swam with wild dolphins
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a tarantula
10. Said "I love you" and meant it
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Stayed up all night long and watched the sun rise
15. Seen the Northern Lights
16. Gone to a huge sports game
17. Walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
19. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
20. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Bet on a winning horse
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Taken an ice cold bath
28. Had a meaningful conversation with a beggar
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Ridden a roller coaster
31. Hit a home run
32. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
33. Adopted an accent for fun.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment
36. Loved your job 90% of the time
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Watched wild whales
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Gone on a midnight walk on the beach
41. Gone sky diving
42. Visited Ireland
43. Ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited India
45. Bench-pressed your own weight
46. Milked a cow
47. Alphabetized your personal files
48. Ever worn a superhero costume
49. Sung karaoke
50. Lounged around in bed all day
51. Gone scuba diving
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud (all weekend)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Done something you should regret, but don't
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Been in a movie
60. Gone without food for 3 days
61. Made cookies from scratch
62. Won first prize in a costume contest
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Been in a combat zone
65. Spoken more than one language fluently
66. Gotten into a fight while attempting to defend someone
67. Bounced a check
68. Read - and understood - your credit report
69. Recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy
70. Found out something significant that your ancestors did
71. Called or written your Congress person
72. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
73. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
74. Helped an animal give birth
75. Been fired or laid off from a job
76. Won money
77. Broken a bone
78. Ridden a motorcycle
79. Driven any land vehicle at a speed of greater than 100 mph
80. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
81. Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
82. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
83. Eaten sushi
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read The Bible cover to cover
86. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
87. Gotten someone fired for their actions
88. Gone back to school
89. Changed your name
90. Caught a fly in the air with your bare hands
91. Eaten fried green tomatoes
92. Read The Iliad
93. Taught yourself an art from scratch
94. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
95. Apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt
96. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
97. Been elected to public office
98. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
99. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
100. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
101. Had a booth at a street fair
102. Dyed your hair
103. Been a DJ
104. Rocked a baby to sleep
105. Ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all four
106. Raked your carpet
107. Brought out the best in people
108. Brought out the worst in people
109. Worn a mood ring
110. Ridden a horse
111. Carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap
112. Cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe
113. Buried a child
114. Gone to a Broadway (or equivalent to your country) play
115. Been inside the pyramids
116. Shot a basketball into a basket
117. Danced at a disco
118. Played in a band
119. Shot a bird
120. Gone to an arboretum
121. Tutored someone
122. Ridden a train
123. Brought an old fad back into style
124. Eaten caviar
125. Let a salesman talk you into something you didn't need
126. Ridden a giraffe or elephant
127. Published a book
128. Pieced a quilt
129. Lived in an historic place
130. Acted in a play or performed on a stage
131. Asked for a raise
132. Made a hole-in-one (on Wii)
133. Gone deep sea fishing
134. Gone roller skating
135. Run a marathon
136. Learned to surf
137. Invented something
138. Flown first class
139. Spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite
140. Flown in a helicopter
141. Visited Africa
142. Sang a solo
143. Gone spelunking
144. Learned how to take a compliment
145. Written a love-story
146. Seen Michelangelo's David
147. Had your portrait painted
148. Written a fan letter
149. Spent the night in something haunted
150. Owned a St. Bernard or Great Dane (we have 2 Great Dane’s that own us)
151. Ran away
152. Learned to juggle
153. Been a boss
154. Sat on a jury
155. Lied about your weight
156. Gone on a diet
157. Found an arrowhead or a gold nugget
158. Written a poem
159. Carried your lunch in a lunchbox
160. Gotten food poisoning
161. Gone on a service, humanitarian or religious mission
162. Hiked the Grand Canyon
163. Sat on a park bench and fed the ducks
164. Gone to the opera
165. Gotten a letter from someone famous
166. Worn knickers
167. Ridden in a limousine
168. Attended the Olympics
169. Can hula or waltz
170. Read a half dozen Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books
171. Been stuck in an elevator
172. Had a revelatory dream
173. Thought you might crash in an airplane
174. Had a song dedicated to you on the radio or at a concert
175. Saved someone's life
176. Eaten raw whale
177. Know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint
178. Laughed till your side hurt
179. Straddled the equator
180. Taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing
181. Gone to a Shakespeare Festival (does the Renaissance Festival count?)
182. Sent a message in a bottle
183. Spent the night in a hostel
184. Been a cashier
185. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
186. Joined a union
187. Donated blood or plasma
188. Built a campfire
189. Kept a blog
190. Had hives
191. Worn custom made shoes or boots
192. Made a PowerPoint presentation
193. Taken a Hunter's Safety Course
194. Served at a soup kitchen
195. Conquered the Rubik's cube
196. Know CPR
197. Ridden in or owned a convertible
198. Found a long lost friend
199. Helped solve a crime
200. Commented on Kerri's blog