Perhaps there is hope in the black thumb department?

The area underneath our porch now looks like the underneath porch area of 2 young Seattle professionals, rather than a redneck backyard:

Our upper backyard:

Lower backyard:

The rest of the fence, the gate, and a new arbor go in this week, along with the first of the plants around the yard. We estimate two more weeks until it is done– just in time for Jeanne and Nathan (Treasure’s sister and brother-in-law) to come up and inaugurate the first outdoor gathering on the new lawn!

Amidst the outdoor chaos, we also had our bathtub and shower regrouted. It had been a disaster when we first moved in and Andy had valiantly tried to stave off the crumbling grout and mildewing caulk to moderate, albeit messy, success. We realized that we are good with technology and literacy and general planning, but that like landscaping, grouting is not our strong suit. So this was well worth the money to pay someone else: