To-Do List

I have a to-do list. I've had one for the past two years, so I've gotten really good at putting things off. That's worked really well until I started having a deadline. I've also figured out why they call them deadlines: your wife will kill you if you don't finish the backyard before your family comes into town for Thanksgiving. Incidentally, that is part of the reason you've been reading about George on this blog for the past month: blogging wasn't on the to-do list. Here is what was on the list last weekend.


This is supposed to be in the bottom of my oven. It's also supposed to heat up when the oven is turned on. Unfortunately, it fails on both counts.


Here is the new one. My wife and I are back on speaking terms. (Note the clean oven; she thought it was a nice touch too)


Here are three of the fruit trees now beautifying my backyard. I actually put them in three weeks ago, but pretend that I was actually that productive last weekend. See the path wending its way around the yard in the background? We'll come to that later.


I also hung this mirror up. It may not be much, but that's one more thing to cross off the list.


And now, the path. Looks pretty good so far, no? See how all the stones fit together like a jigsaw puzzle? Try doing a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces weigh 30 lbs each and you're not actually sure that they all go to the same picture. (read, it's not as easy as it looks) Props here to my wife, who is actually very good at fitting rocks together. The manly thing would have been to insist that I could do it all myself; truth is, I appreciated the help.


What happens when you run out of pieces for your puzzle? You go buy more! Thanks for letting me borrow the truck, Nick.


And finally, it is finished. Here we make a gentle turn around the orange tree.


Ok, I said the path was done. I didn't say I'd cleaned up yet.