We’ve been at full speed, so today I made time to catch up with family.

Made driving arrangements with Peter next week while he’s at AltConf 2015 and WWDC.

Brought Alpha to Game Stop to shop for her graduation gift. She picked out only one game but the other she wanted was there as well, and since they were both marked down, I bought two for her instead of just one.

Turns out, her gaming system was supposed to be back today after being repaired. Great timing.

I put together my TEALS presentation slides and sent them off to Nathaniel for review.

Emailed questions to Jim about his new lead generation partner’s requirements.

It rained for most of the day, so no flower work, but I did mix 40 pounds of lime into the pile of yard debris in the back and spread a bag of topsoil and grass seed on a low-lying “swamp” next to the vegetable garden.

We’ve been having fun watching the tiny sparrow fledglings swoop around. There seem to be several families here this year, one in Robert’s birdhouse and at least one in the big arbor vitae in the front. Might be a nest in one of the bushes next to the front steps as well.

Ron sautéed the remaining spinach and a box of mushrooms and cooked the corn for supper. I grilled turkey burgers.

Yesterday, Ron and I went to Falmouth to pick up my handouts for the presentation. We stopped at Kappy’s to return bottles and dropped in to Emma’s exhibit at FCTV. By strange coincidence, Emma called last evening! We hope to get together some weekend.

This, from today’s Cape Cod online:

(A)ccording to the 2013 American Resort Development Association’s financial impact study, the average time-share party’s spending per week on vacation is $1,967.

Ron and I were saying yesterday afternoon that we’d just as soon eat at home and enjoy our yard as seek out other diversions. Besides appealing to my fundamental laziness, guess that saves us money.

Yesterday, Ron brought home two big bunches of flowers which Laura was kind enough to arrange for us. What a treat to see first thing this morning!

Had the fan on all night. Made coffee and fetched the Sunday Times. Hot in the sun today until a cold front moved in around 4:00. Fine breeze.

We changed sheets and did laundry. Took pity on our neighbors and loaded a pile of brush that’s been sitting in their yard for weeks; did the transfer station run. Fortunately, trash and recyclables was pretty light this week. Stopped at Breakaway to fill a propane tank for Peter.

Piled a second, final load of brush from the neighbor’s yard on the truck for a run tomorrow.

Robert’s birdhouse has occupants, a sparrow family we think.

Buds on the Endless Summer hydrangeas and the Stella d’Oros.  Lilacs have started. Lupine is blossoming (!)  Yard is really looking good this year.  Must have been the snow and the soaker hoses.

Ron chainsawed his way through a pile of wood for Laura and Joe. He also put another coat on the wishing well stand.

We picked up some baked goods at the Senior Center and some “used” steaks at Stop & Shop as well as my meds.

I finished pruning the hydrangeas. Hardly touched the purple one. The big ones are a mess. I also mowed the back yard, put down the new soaker in the little garden by the back steps and did a bunch of watering, starting with the vegetable garden early this morning. Painted three more rocks for soaker hose location.

Finished preowned detail! Had an awful time deploying it. Felt like a weird cacheing issue that eventually timed out, and at that point, my code worked. Very frustrating.

Little pizzas for supper tonight with leftovers and used veggies. Good!

We picked up fencing materials at Lowe’s in Wareham; Ron installed the fence around the vegetable garden this afternoon.

He also did the laundry.

I brought home two gorgeous Speedwells, mowed the front and side grass and pruned four hydrangeas and one of the Montauks. Four hydrangeas to go.

Bon mot courtesy of our friend Peter Randall, who was here for a Spring inspection.

I’ve been working on Jim’s page.

Was Alpha’s chauffeur for her last day of secondary school – ever. We had frozen yogurt to celebrate.

Ron has been busy with hoses and shop vac-ing. He vacuumed both vehicles!

I planted Alyssum that Alpha selected in one of the flower containers.

Met Peter, Bonnie and Robert at iCape to drop off a suit for Alpha to wear at graduation; crumpets for Robert; sprinkler for James; and ground chicken and hamburger for everyone else.

Made a salad and grilled Manager’s Special chicken breasts, zuccini, used pepper and used cauliflower for supper.

Transplanted the Brussel sprouts, which had been attacked by “Welsh”.

Finished applying 5-10-5.

The Pope has it right: “Many powerful people don’t want peace because they live off war.”

More watering today. We picked up two more soaker hoses and filter washers at Eastman’s. Also an oscillating sprinkler for Edgewater.

I made potato salad.

Ron is the guy in charge of hoses, power tools, “cowboy carpentry”.

Caught up with Joe while he was sanding their deck. Gave him a chunk of Key Lime pie. Laura seems to be psyching herself for the start of their landscape architecture project.

It’s Sunday of a long holiday weekend, but we worked the whole day.

We did the usual: transfer station, laundry, changed sheets.

I planted the rest of the crocosmia bulbs as well as the bulbs from last year that looked like they might have some life in them and a wood geranium.

The rest of the day was mostly watering. I painted more stones as guides to the business ends of the new soaker hoses.

Harvested five asparagus for supper. “Welsh” has been around the yard, eating and contemplating.

Sunburn, allergy, yardwork, whatever it was, I slept for a couple of hours this afternoon.

Got most of the bulbs in, dug up some bulbs from last year. Planted a Cushion Spurge and a plant with tall stems and red flowers that hummingbirds are alleged to like. Watered.

Luis came by to put down pre-emergent crabgrass treatment.

I shredded leaves in two spots and piled Ron’s yard trimmings on the truck; great to have a working tailgate again. Traffic was bad this morning when Ron did the transfer station run.

Ron finished power washing the chairs. I went to Andy’s for chips.