Roots, Racoon, Rescue Dog, and New Trees!

Although I tried, I could not come up with a suitable "R" word to describe our new Cedar trees... but here they are being planted by Will Olney's crew last Saturday morning.  We had them staggered just off the lakeside stoop on the west side of the house to provide a lovely green barrier.  They will grow just a little bit taller and fill out just a bit more over the years.  Joel and Will have discussed the placement of other shrubs and trees once we get the sidewalks and patios installed.

Last night Joel and I headed up to the house to check on the day's progress and water the cedars.  We brought the dogs as they are now trained on the Invisible Fence.  Although they all love their new yard and home, Sadie, our rescue pit mix, is especially curious.  I can't keep up with her as she explores the house upstairs and downstairs and upstairs and downstairs...

I brought lunch to the girls at around noon yesterday and discovered this guy on the road down to the lake.  He did not startle or attempt to move as I approached, so I retreated and called down to the girls to have them be careful on their way up.  Paige shooed him off the path, but he bared his teeth and got grumpy as he fled, so we are all going to be extra careful for the next few days.

Paige and Tanya are now in their 4th week of road construction, and the results are impressive!  Joel took the day off on Tuesday to help them with some of the heavier lifting.  He also trimmed the lower branches of several trees so that vehicles can pass underneath.  They all worked together to level the land a bit to lessen the pitch at the bottom.  This included digging out multiple tree roots.

Meanwhile, the activity level at the house has been at a fevered pitch.  Yesterday Steve and Larry and Dennis continued siding the back part of the east side.  Mark, our electrician, was up in our bedroom installing outlets, boxes, and wires.  The plumbers showed up to work on the hot and cold tubing.  Hopefully today I will be able to take some progress photos of both the inside and outside and post them tomorrow!