end of summer milestones

red calabash tomatoes, provider beans, some type of okra

It's hard to count all the things we've had happen in the last few weeks.  Our first tomatoes of the year, the finishing of the patio (pictures to come soon, but not today) first vacation in a while, a new car (cylinder count is now nine, including lawn mower) and most significantly- the first day of school- ever- for our daughter.

building with salvaged things

the new playhouse- built in an evening from five pallets and wood from the old compost bin

I enjoy building things.  It's satisfying in all the ways that a desk job is not.  And I have a lot of time at a desk these days.  On the weekends, partly as an antidote to the cubicle, I like to build stuff.

And I have two small, very demanding clients who have constant orders for new things.  One of those things was a playhouse.  They had seen a very cute, gingerbread-style playhouse for sale at Costco on one of our pantry-stuffing trips and had been asking (whining, really) for a playhouse, a real playhouse, or better yet, a treehouse in the back yard.