a mix of work and play

We got some much need yard work done yesterday, which makes me feel that our otherwise leisurely weekend was nonetheless productive. The predicted cold and rainy weather never really appeared -- seems to have held off until today, but even so, it's neither very cold nor very rainy -- and yesterday and Saturday were particularly gorgeous days.

Yesterday was a planting day, which involved a trek to Portland Nursery in the neighbor's borrowed truck to spend way more than planned, as usual. We stopped at Flavour Spot on the way home, then finally got started actually digging and planting things mid-afternoon. We had several things to replace, stuff that we lost from last year (though thankfully, not as much as we'd originally feared): the star jasmine (victim of a late freeze in February), the three Ilex trees in pots on the patio (victims of the freeze), one  of the clematis (victim of the raccoons that we battled all last summer/fall), and the two Japanese bayberries on the front porch (victims of our serial neglect*).

*So completely inexcusable. I mean, they're right there, right by the front door! We walk past them every single day! And we both would see the poor things getting a little dry and droopy and be all, "Gee, I should water those." And then...nothing. Meanwhile, our house increasingly looks like the Addams Family house, utterly desicated plants by the front door, enveloped in cobwebs. In conclusion, we suck at adult responsibility, you guys.

Sally also picked up two hops vines (finally), which will be a good catalyst for getting the hops trellis built, and I got annuals for all my patio pots. Portland Nursery always has a great sale on fall color annuals and half price on their end of summer annuals, and since we have such a lovely and extended autumn season here in the PNW, having those cheerful pots of flowers all around just makes the patio that much more enjoyable this time of year. (They're also having a 20% off sale on vines, so check that out if you've had any vines on your wish list.)

We finished up late in the day yesterday, then he remembered he had to go to the school to glaze some tortes, so it meant a late dinner. But a dinner with leftovers, thankfully, which means a hearty lunch today.

lunch, blue bunny & moons:

• herb roasted chicken
• green beans sauteed with caramelized onions
• baked potato with sour cream and butter
• grapes and Gala apple slices
• cashews and dark chocolate covered raisins

Our other accomplishment this weekend is that we mainlined Season 4 of Friday Night Lights, which we'd been waiting for like junkies. (That whoop and holler you just heard was Cat flipping out that we're caught up and are so completely bonkers for this show.) It came out on DVD a couple of weeks ago but even though I'd preordered it, Amazon was being a bitca and didn't deliver it until Saturday. That meant that we could hardly contain ourselves and simply had to mini-marathon it.

I think I'm going to have to write up a squeeage post about it, because you guys, srsly. SRSLY.