Emberville in July

 

Labrador retrievers are known for their odd sleeping positions, but it is rare that I get a photo before she magically flips over and is ready to GO!

Overnight from Friday to Saturday, I was alerted by a bark at about 2 a.m.  Yes, a bark!  My silent dog voiced a concern.  When that happens, I get up and go down to investigate.  Sure enough, she needed to go out.  I found out when I went on poo patrol later in the morning when I discovered the resulting pile, about twice the normal size.  She had demurred on going during last call Friday night... guess there are side effects to shifting meal times?  I had overslept Friday morning, so she got fed late.

I skipped out on Tai Chi Saturday morning the 11th because I've been overpeopling the past couple of weeks.  Ember took me 'round the neighborhood in the cool of the morning, then we went on our coffee run.

Deck time of a Summer evening.  

I have noticed that in the summertime our dog walks are getting longer on average.  We're up to over a mile and a half, sometimes 2 miles.

I "slept in" three mornings over the weekend.  Saturday to Sunday we had a repeat of the 2 a.m. "middle of the night" play time.  Sunday poo patrol showed another similar need that drove the 2 a.m. barking.  Oh, yeah, I had given her a bone on Saturday, that explained that "extra helping".

Sunday night to Monday, Ember did not wake me up.  

Tuesday morning, she was very happy to be back in day care where they have a doggy pool for the hot weather days.  I was feeling lazy and did not vacuum, but I did human laundry and recharged the front doorbell battery (which is a bit of a "process").  

Wednesday morning, Ember decided a bunny was vastly more interesting than keeping Mommy on the sidewalk and dragged me well into "somebody else's yard".  I lectured her the whole way that this was "not our yard" (by then the bunny had completely disappeared).  She was unconvinced and went so close to their house before she found... some other animal's poo.  And yes, sorry to say, she ate it!  Yuck!  At this point, she was willing to be persuaded to take Mommy back to the sidewalk.  She was pretty tuckered out by the conflict, and the rest of the walk was calm.  Sigh.

I survived Thursday.  A breakfast with the financial group.  Followed by my semi-annual dental cleaning.  Ember, thank goodness, was having her usual time with her puppy friends in day care.  I renewed my library book that I haven't been getting to and am about halfway through.  And I took a wee nap!  What got missed?  I did not vacuum and dust.  The x-pen remained cluttered with toys.

Ember came home wet from being out playing in the water in day care's "back yard".  I'm going to have to consider getting the pool out for her at home over the weekend, too, because it's July and the weather is doing what it does this time of year.

Friday morning walk

We got out about 7:30 a.m. as all the commuters are leaving for work.  I was very proud of Ember as we crossed the street in front of oncoming vehicles, not once, but three times, and walked all business straight across, without dawdling in the street.  I was proud of her showing off her pretty, polite sit while waiting for traffic to resolve itself, for people to walk by, or for other dogs and their walkers to decide on their own paths.  She was such a good walker for such a long while.

Then she found something intriguing.  A dead snake on the grass right near the quiet residential street.  Not a big one, but one certainly ripe for rolling in.  She could not resist and rolled to her heart's content to hide her scent from any potential prey.  When she was ready, she led Mom back to the sidewalk, confident and happy.

Oh, well.  It's in the dog prey instinct.  Hard to fight that when the "back brain" takes over.  We walked on, again being the well-behaved girl I know and love.  Until about a block from home when she encountered this:

Can you see it?  Center of the frame, small and pink.  It's a tiny naked baby squirrel that has fallen from its nest.  

What did my young adult female lab do with a baby of another species?  Again, instinct kicks in... she licks it to keep it warm.  She tries to stay right with it.

I'm concerned.  I should not touch the little thing (it's still moving) to avoid having its mother reject it.  I managed to distract Ember into a game of "search for the treat" which I tossed ahead of us on the sidewalk, and we made it safely home.  I'll probably never know what happened to that baby squirrel, but at least my dog did not kill or eat the poor little thing.

Life goes on at the slow heat-driven summer pace.  Life is good.  Keep Sparking!

Line up the July anniversaries in a row

Tuesday the 7th was the 30th anniversary of my mother's passing.  

Wednesday the 8th, the 29th anniversary of a niece's birth.  A year and a day later than Mom's passing.  

Mom used to intone what was probably "urban legend" before that name was invented that a year and a day was how long they left a body in a mausoleum spot in New Orleans before it was considered OK to reuse the slot.  This may just be a twisted childhood ghost of a memory, but it stuck in my brain.  I have a few of those kinds of cobwebs rattling around.

Thursday the 9th, the anniversary of another niece's birth, the first time I became an aunt.  Nowadays I follow that niece's kids on Facebook. 

Friday the 10th, I have surpassed my mother's lifespan by 7 years.  

Monday the 13th will be 7 years since Kevin (MOBYCARP)'s passing.  I still miss him every day.

Life, memory, and dates are an interesting saga.  And cryptic recitations of this sort are what happens when your brain is one of those fixated on numbers! 🤣

Subject change time!

This little critter is an orb weaver spider.  On my deck's drink rail, posing for a photo after I had rudely walked through her web, destroying it.  I am dubbing her "Charlotte" although I have no clue if spiders have sexes and if they do how one can distinguish, but let's honor the children's literature for a bit.

I took this photo on Monday morning.

By Tuesday morning, she was hard at work weaving yet another work of art.  This time she chose the other side of the deck, not the one where I would walk through the web on my way to the backyard.  One day she had it low enough that EMBER walked through it!

Mid-week

Another seasonal day on Wednesday!  Ember and I got out early.  There is this one yard, at the far end of that walk route, that tempts her every time.  The woman who lives there and is sometimes outside when we walk by is very afraid of dogs, but she grows such tempting plants in that yard!

Ember dragged me up to the retaining wall (the lady was not out).  I pleaded with Ember that this is "not our yard", but it took some time to convince her to take me back to the sidewalk.  Yes, a treat tossed to "search" in the grass closer to the sidewalk was involved.

On Thursday morning, completed the "in touch with siblings over the summer" sequence by having coffee with Alicia.  Lots of information dumps beyond blogs, catching up on one another's extended families, as far as we know (we're not an "up in your face" kind of family, so often it's a "no news is good news" kind of assumption).

On Thursday afternoon, Ember was wet coming home from daycare, and we ended the day on the couch with her head on my lap.  Nothing as peaceful as having an animal that trusts you!  You can feel your heart rate and blood pressure settle.

Friday - another week in the books

Large and in charge, we have The Prisoner, still doing OK, even though thinner and feeling a little bonier to his hu-mom.

Ember checks in with the senior pet.  I think these photos are from Thursday morning.  Overnight Wednesday to Thursday one of the deck chairs got picked up by the wind and knocked over into the sliding door.  Ember was a champ, given that her crate is within six feet of that door.  She was fine when I went down in the morning to start our day.  She sniffed I swear every board on that deck to ensure herself that all was well.

Friday morning dawned overcast and humid.  Ember cut our morning walk short, for some reason.  We filled Dexter's gas tank ($21 for six gallons).  Came home with the London Fog and doggy bone, and our weekend has begun.

Life is good.  Keep on Sparking!

Independence Day and Mother Nature

 

Happy 4th of July

It may be Independence Day here, but it's July 4th all over!  I can wish the whole world a happy 4th of July!

Ember and I went walking early on the 3rd, and the neighborhood fireworks fanatics were already starting up.  She did not seem to be bothered by them, most of them were "in the distance".  The booms and pops continued throughout the day.  A few of them were loud enough or close enough to merit a head whip, but the recovery time was short.  My scared puppy has become a confident adult.

We had a big storm blow through Friday evening the 3rd.  This was when the big community fireworks display was scheduled, with the "Uncle Sam Jam" festivities located in our minor league baseball venue.  They ended up cancelling it because of the lightning danger, but intended to go ahead and set off the fireworks at 10 p.m.  I'm assuming they did, as I heard big booms and woke briefly between ten and midnight, but I had already gone to bed, since it was pouring rain and rumbling thunder at 8 p.m. when I would normally be taking Ember outside for "last call."  

In any case, I woke to the rain on the roof and found a wet deck with a kitty sitting on the rail.  He had done a vanish on me, outside, while the booms were going off early in the evening.  I was glad to have the kitty ready to come inside as it was time for his every couple of months flea and tick medication.  

The forecast did not predict rain until noon, but it was actively raining in the 7 a.m. hour, so we went to the coffee drive-thru, instead of on a walk.

It finally quit dripping about 11 a.m., and Ember and I set out to review the neighborhood.  There were pops and bangs going off, but they did not seem to bother her much.  We got home around noon and had a quiet afternoon.  I left her outside the crate while I went upstairs to take a shower, and she handled it well.  When I came downstairs all freshened up, she was laying on the cool tile at the foot of the stairs.

I put the fruit for the party together, and after Ember's supper at 4 p.m., I headed over to "the kids".  The birdie that I wrote about before, that had gone to the vet last week, unfortunately passed away on Thursday.  Blessedly, in his final hour, he was being held by my daughter in law.  This sweet bird (Scout, named after the character in To Kill a Mockingbird) had been in her care for 21 years, half her lifetime!  FGC was quite heart-broken and the whole family had to adjust to this loss.

They decided they to have a funeral pyre for the little guy.  In a cardboard box on which we all wrote messages and prayers and wishes, his body was burnt in the chiminea.  We all shared memories.  FGC couldn't watch it all and went to help set up fireworks watching chairs on the front side of the house.  

His ashes will be spread on the garden, but a small amount added to the bird cremains urn the family has collected over the years.  

The party moved to the front of the house, where a few daylight fireworks were set off before the grill was fired up.  The fruit I brought, burgers, hot dogs, chips and buns comprised the holiday meal.  Dessert came in the form of cake pops, baked by DIL's mom.  She is such a great baker, desserts being her specialty.  These were moist and flavorful.  Banana flavored as requested by FGC, and vanilla for those who were not banana flavor fans.

Then it was back to the fireworks.  Carl, their dog, was on his calming meds.  The remaining cockatiel, Kiwi, was not only grieving the loss of his roommate, but also bothered by the booms and pops and smoky air.  DIL took him to his room and covered his cage to help him calm down.  

There were smoke ones.  Seemed like some inventive marketer rebranded a gender reveal firework pack for July 4th.  In the two pack, one was pink, the other blue.

The Millenium Falcon put in an appearance, shooting sparks.

Then dissolving into sparking pops!

About the time several "screech owl" style fireworks went off; I decided I'd best get home to Ember.

It wasn't yet full dark when I navigated through the five parties on the streets that intersect where my house sits.  Ember was quite happy to be let out of her crate, but not happy with what was going on outside.

Ember decided she would remain "on alert". She did not want to return to the crate for the night, so we just chilled on the couch, watching out the window.  

Ember stood guard while I went upstairs and got ready for bedtime.  About 10 p.m. I gave up and sacked out on the couch while she stayed on alert.

She woke me with a cold nose on the back of my knee about midnight.  The bangs and pops were dying down, and she was ready to take a crate entry bribe.  

Sunday, July 5th

I awoke feeling every day of my over seventy years.  Fed the cat, greeting Ember, and took her out in the backyard.  Doesn't seem like any of the debris from the night's activities made their way into my yard.  Ember took care of business, and a little while (and a mug of coffee) later we went out on leash to survey the neighborhood.

What a difference two years makes in the lifetime of a puppy!  I well remember the first time I took her for a walk after a fireworks night, when she was about 5 months old.  She wanted to eat everything (or at least mouth it, discover it).  This year?  Most of the time, a quick sniff meant "move on".  Toward the end of the walk, where the debris field hadn't been stacked up yet, she was more curious.  We made it through our rounds and through the coffee drive-thru for our mommy-and-me day ritual.

In short, Life is Good.  Spark on!

Into July!

 Saturday, June 27, 2026

It's a week 'til The Fourth of July, which down here in the USA means there are crazies willing to set off fireworks.  I've been hearing them for three or four nights already, even though they are not legal in town except on the 3rd and 4th.  This is a problem for some folks with pets.  My grand-dog Carl gets calming meds.  Ember has yet to have a prolonged issue with them, but I did notice last year that if we were walking along and one went off within 50 feet or so of us, she would startle.  Fortunately, she recovers well, especially if I'm on the other end of the leash.

Saturday was the last day of "seasonal" temperatures, with a high of 81℉.  I was surprised to find the new deck wet when I got up.  It was the 60's in the morning.  I delayed taking Ember for a walk, and she went down for a nap a little after 8.  Yay!  In time for me to make it to Tai Chi in the Park class.  My friend Kim came as well.

After I came home, I made my own breakfast, and then Ember and I went out for our "pack migration" (as one YouTuber calls your daily walk with the dogs).  Seems kind of silly to call us a pack when we are only two!  It wasn't yet hot, but it was humid.  I pretty much let her nose and eyes guide our path.  By now, at two and a half, she has developed pretty solid habits to stay on the other side of the street when other dogs are walking.  I feel so lucky that even if other dogs strain and bark, she stays quiet.  Alert, but quiet.

This morning, as we were walking by a house with a couple of U-Hauls in front of it, a little Boston Terrier was off leash and decided she needed to come out to greet.  Ember was a bit startled, but both dogs gave a play bow, and I think they probably would have played nicely, were it not for one being on leash and the other off.  Ember was still tied to me.  

As the other dog's owner hollered at his dog to get back, Ember got scared, but she did not pull me off my feet.  It was a little exciting for a while, but the gent spoke gently to Ember, and apologized to me for his dog, but "no harm no foul" all animals and humans stayed safe.  Ember was a little more nervous for the next couple of blocks and looked to me for reassurance, and we proceeded to home.

Ember napped well after her walk, and that gave me a chance to shower and nap myself.  Ahhh!

Sunday, June 28th

The coolest hour of the morning, 6 to 7 a.m.  There was a nice breeze on the deck.  Ember and I lounged out there until 7, then did our usual poo patrol.  I took advantage of the early morning for a quick grocery stop, windows down, before going through the coffee drive-thru for my London fog and Ember's Milkbone.

She was napping in her crate by 8 a.m., leaving me with the puzzle of whether it will be "less hot" enough for a walk when she gets up.  Also hanging on to the anticipation of truly hot weather in the afternoon.  We may drop back to a plan B to keep the pup cool.

I have introduced a silk cooling mat, but it has tags on it that are just a HUGE temptation to chew on.  I will lay it down, do a little "go to mat" training, then take it away when she starts chewing.  Eventually she'll get the message.  Sunday morning, she looked longingly at the shelf I had placed it on and gave a little whine.  I misinterpreted it as a request for brushing, so brushed her.  But then I realized what she was really asking for.  We did a short training session with the mat, then put it up again.

It got hot in a hurry, topping out about 96℉.  Ember was awake at game time, so I didn't go to FGC's baseball game.  Instead Ember and I went for a DQ baby cone to split.

Monday June 29th

We went for our walk at 6:30 a.m.  It was already 78℉!  We have two more over 90 highs before it drops back to the 80's.  We took it easy.  Ember showed little interest in playing outside.  Very short trips out for "the necessary".

Tuesday, June 30th

Month's end.  Ember was dropped at day care and I chatted with the groom room about her irritation under her front legs, so an allergy bath became part of her spa day.  It's funny this time of year, as the hair on her underside seems to thin out more than on her back and sides, and she looks positively bald in spots.

Dog laundry day, vacuum out the x-pen day, and since it was a hot day, "take it easy" again.

Happy Canada Day!  Wednesday July 1st

We're still in the middle of the hot weather, welcoming in a new month.  I remembered my rabbits and also that our neighbors to the North celebrate their nation's birthday today.

Ember and I got out at 7:20 a.m. and it was warm and humid.  Not as hot as it gets in the afternoon, of course, which is why we walk in the early hours.

We were not alone.  We saw Ember's friends and their humans out making the rounds as well.  At one point a lady was coming out to work on her decorative plantings and we paused to chat.  Ember seems very cool when we do this.  She went into her pretty polite sit, and she laid down, tail awhirl, wanting to greet.  The neighbor stayed back a ways as I warned her of the pup's tendency to want to jump up.  But Ember stayed contained.  I worried she was going to eat the pompoms off the gal's slippers, so I kept a short leash going.

After she went down for her puppy crate nap (rituals are wonderful), I texted my older sister who has our youngest sister staying with for a couple of days. I headed over to have a sister gabfest.

Now we are all three up to date on each other's medical history (welcome to old-er age, folks).  Gee, those ladies look like they just might be related!

Yes, those of you who notice there's a sister missing?  She was at work.  

Life continues to be good.  Spark on!

The Prisoner is getting old

 Tuesday June 23, 2026

The Prisoner spent most of Tuesday ruling the roost, but I'm starting to notice his aging.  He seems a little more elderly to my eyes.  It reminds me of the last few months of Rubia's life.  I'm trying to baby him a lot, but it has me pondering in my heart how much longer he'll be with me.

He has adjusted to the narrower rail atop the fence.  Today I showed him how nice and broad the drink rail is, and he navigated that OK.

I really had to smile that he chose "under the couch" as a hiding place.  Not a good idea, bub.  That's where Ember likes to den.

No hiding from that nose, kitty.  When Ember came home, The Prisoner opted to stay outside.

Wednesday the 24th, a Mommy and Me day

We are still in a "nice weather" pattern.  It is humid even in the cool of the morning.  Mommy opted to declare the "pack migration" at 7:15 a.m.

Ember took us through some different parts of the neighborhood, taking us a total of 2.04 miles.  During this walk she got to touch noses with Bella, the older white lab, and she was a good girl and kept her paws down while greeting Bill, a guy I used to work with.  Bill was out walking, and Ember knows him from several past meetings, dating back to when we measured her age in weeks.

However, she also found a patch or two that her instincts demanded she drop and roll to wear its disguising (and to humans maybe disgusting?) scent.

When we got home, we took Dexter (the car) for a drink of gasoline.  Still expensive.  Nearly 7 gallons, over $25.  We added a coffee drive-thru where Mom got her London Fog and Ember got a Milkbone.

Feeling nicely content, Ember settled for a nap in the crate and Mommy took a refreshing shower and wrote this day's entry.

Thursday the 25th

Ember dropped at day care at the usual time.  As it turned out, her vet office has the remaining bird specialist in town, and one of my DIL's cockatiels had been poorly for a week or so, and she brought him in for the vet to check out at the same time.  I sat with her and "mouse in the corner" watched what kind of questions the vet tech asked about a bird. DIL gave informed answers.  She's been around birds from childhood up; her dad is a birdman, never without some avian companion(s) in the house.

The rest of the day was full of human stuff.  I washed bed linens, put away winter/fall/spring covers, stopped at the library to swap out books, and changed burnt out lightbulbs.  All the minutia of life, huh?  The lumber company truck came by and removed the leftovers from the deck construction from the driveway.

Ember came home to a "normal" evening routine.  

I'm noticing that there are fireworks being set off already, and it's more than a week before the 4th of July.  My son's dog Carl is already on his calming meds.  Ember, thank goodness, is pretty OK with distant booms; the ones that are within 50 feet or so will startle her, but she recovers pretty quickly.

Friday the 26th

Now we have a stretch of four days of just us ahead.  Ember took me out for a 1.7-mile neighborhood walk. She navigated well, greeting one gent who was very cooperative about helping her "be good" and keep her paws down.  We did a pretty polite sit to allow other dogs and people walk by on the other side, and we walked on, giving them their space.  

When we got home, Dexter (the car) took us to pick up some of her Wild Salmon kibble with Ancient Grains (have I mentioned my dog is a pampered Diva?).  This is one where she's allowed in the store on leash, and she behaved well, sitting and waiting for the clerk to hand her a treat when it was our turn to pay.  After sniffing the truck parked next to us, she loaded up, and home we came.

In short, life has returned to normal.  The deck is fresh and new, but its footprint is the same, and both animals have figured out it can be used to maintain safety and interest in the same way the old one was.

Life is good.

Keep on Sparking!

Are we there yet?

 

Full privacy fence... I'm enclosed now.  Only gate is on the far side of the house!

Problem #1:  A gap, about 8 or nine inches wide between the railing and the privacy fence.  A small child could wriggle through and fall to the patio (concrete).  They have promised to fix it.

Problem #2:  There is supposed to be a drink rail on the long side.  Foreman Brian said they didn't have the brackets to attach it.  Calvin promises it will get fixed on Friday.

Problem #3:  They left all the leftover construction materials on the patio, not out where the lumber company truck can come and retrieve them easily.

Calvin promised they will shift those "leftovers" to the north side of my driveway on Friday so I won't have them on the patio.

Until that patio is cleared of hazards, I can't use my sliding door to release Ember into the yard, which means I can't take down the x-pen temporary fence, either.

Consequently, I have called up the day care and slotted Ember in for Friday, Saturday, and Monday.  Friday and Monday I will have workmen here, finishing up on Friday and hauling off the trash on Monday.

I only booked her Saturday, not Sunday, over the weekend, because I figure she'll need a "down day" with "mommy and me" at least one weekend day.  

On the plus side?  The supporting columns are much bigger/sturdier than the old ones.  The flooring and steps are composite, not wood, so don't need as much maintenance.

Friday June 19 - Happy Juneteenth

I'm a bit frustrated.  The workers did not come back Friday morning, so even though I took Ember to day care and removed the center of the X-pen barrier.  I called the head guy to express my worry about the 8 80-pound bags of concrete mix, two of which had the bag broken open, that were sitting on my river rock bed.

Naturally, there was rain in the forecast and the crew that was supposed to move all that stuff... did not show up.  I called the boss who said he would call the crew chief and get back to me.  He never called back.  As the drops began to fall, I tried an emergency shelter made from Ember's doggy pool.

I weighed it down with a couple of cinder blocks from the back yard.  I am not hopeful that the bags will stay dry and I will not pay these dudes the remainder of their fee until they get the trash and leftovers out of my yard, and the gap fixed and the drink rail installed.  If those bags get wet, they will be solid concrete and impossible for me to shift!

About 2 p.m. my son called to check up on me, and we chatted for quite some time, "solving (not) the problems of the world", and generally having a vent (guys don't call it bitch) session.  That pulled me back from the anxious worrying and second guessing.

Saturday, June 20th

This was the day that our local Community Center held the celebration for Juneteenth.  I had never been to such a celebration before, but I knew that my son and DIL intended to attend.  Despite the forecast of rain, I thought I should go.  If nothing else to get myself educated about a holiday that growing up in one of the whitest states in the nation, I had been unaware of until the pandemic years. 

It was packed.  I found the group and was pleased at the sheer joy of the attendees.  

There was live music, emcees, lots of organizations had booths to promote their services, food was served in a buffet line (hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and water, nothing fancy, but very holiday fare).

There is a water park pad, so the kiddos were able to enjoy water even before it started coming from the sky.

I have turned into that old lady that stays and hour or an hour and a half and ducks out early.  Given I had to park about half a mile away, it was a good thing.  By then it was raining steadily.

Ember was in Saturday day care.  They open an hour later on Saturday, so we had time for about a mile of neighborhood leash walking before we went.

When I went to pick her up, she was wet from playing outside in the rain, too.  I love a summertime rain when the temperatures are mild.  I had taken down the x-pen panels in case the deck guys were to come to clear off, but with the rain, I held out little hope.  I put them back up in the rain before I went to get Ember.

Sunday, June 21

Happy Father's Day.  Rain continued.  I went grocery shopping during Ember's morning nap.  When I got home, I let her out of her crate and together we went on a neighborhood walk.  Then Dexter (the car) took us for a ride to recycle some cardboard.  

I was pleasantly surprised when about 12:30 p.m., Ember decided to crate herself for another nap.  Perfect timing.  I went upstairs to pay a bill, then snuck out of the house about 1:30 to go to FGC's baseball game.  As usual, no photos due to foster program rules.

It was a really good game.  He seemed most excited when he got to play first base (he made an out), and later in the game when he was tapped as pitcher (he caught a fly ball that would have been foul).  He did well at bat, too.  This year the league is "coach pitch" but if the kiddo can't get a hit after four pitches, they put up a tee for them to whack it.  FGC managed to get on base off coach pitches twice, and his third (and final) at bat he had to use the tee... and whacked it so well he got a double!  With the rules this year, the inning ends with either the batting team getting five runs, or the fielding team gets three outs, whichever happens first.  FGC managed to get across home plate on all three turns.

I have no clue what kind of score there was at the end of the game (nobody really counts it), but I was very pleased to see how much these kids (all of them, not just FGC) have learned over the past two seasons.  I'm also impressed with the volunteers who coach and umpire!  We are very lucky in this town to have so many folks involved.

I ducked out right after the game and came home to my pup.  It was about supper time and getting fed no doubt helped a lot to establish a good mood!

Monday, June 22nd - we are there!

I dropped Ember at day care and came home to find... workmen!

They installed my drink rail (read "cat superhighway").  

Fix for problem #1:  The gap has been filled with a solid post, matching other support posts on that side. 

Fix for Problem #2:  the crew installed the deck rail, also known around here as The Prisoner's personal highway.  You can see it in the final photo.

Fix for problem #3:  Calvin showed up and took away the trash from the patio and swept up.  

He took away the concrete mix bags that I had sheltered with the baby pool.  He hosed it down so that the river rock was in good shape, no damage from my anxious weekend!

The leftover building materials got moved to the driveway, so that Ember doesn't have to be kept on leash until the lumber truck comes to pick them up on Tuesday.

After I wrote him a check and he left, I took down the x-pen panels, moved the chairs back onto the deck, and hosed down the patio, an extra layer of cleaning because... Ember will be free to run loose in the back yard again!

All's well that ends well, and I can return to normal living for a while!

Life is good.  Spark on!

The week unfolds as the deck project gets underway

 Saturday, June 13th, 2026

I overslept.  I was about an hour late getting downstairs to take care of the animals.  I looked at the forecast and saw that the thunderstorm front was due at the same time as the "Tai Chi in the park" event and texted my friend Kim that I would be skipping it, in favor of taking Ember out for a neighborhood walk hopefully done before the front came through.

This photo is from about halfway through our walk.  Those are storm clouds, not hills, for those of you who don't inhabit the wide-open plains.  

Ember insisted on going around the last block despite my pleas to get home before it hit.  She won that discussion, and we went on around.  There were still some branches within reach of her sniff limit.  We had one funny spot where she climbed through a pile of them and I whined at her that she had to come back because Mommy could not go through the pile the way she did.

Sunday, June 14th

Waking time was more "normal" on Sunday.  But I was tired.  Reordered when we did the dog walk to "after puppy nap #1".  We walked the farthest she ever has on leash, and through a different part of the neighborhood.

Monday, June 15th

Mom still low energy.  This is the last day before we have 3 days of doggy day care in a row.  The deck project is supposed to begin on Tuesday or Wednesday.  On Monday I moved the deck chairs to the far end of the back yard, on the shed pad.  I'm waiting until the last minute to put up the x-pen temporary fence at the far end of the patio so that Ember can be contained for potty sessions.

Tuesday, June 16th

Ember was happy to be dropped off at day care.  I came home and put up the temporary fence, which will give her some back yard freedom, but protect the area that will have the privacy fence and deck removed for a couple of days.

I thought there was a good chance the folks would not show up Tuesday, which would give me time to clear the fence line of unwanted plants (volunteer trees and ivy).  The plan is to deconstruct and put the building materials on the concrete patio.  This should work!  Fingers crossed.

I was wrong about them not getting here Tuesday.  I had started some weed cutting along the fenceline, and about that time Calvin showed up with building materials for the fence part of the project.

I kept working on the weeds, then called it "good enough" to take a break.  About 10:45 a.m. I noticed the crew had arrived to do the deconstruction of the deck and fence.  I asked them to smile for the camera!

They proceeded to deconstruct, and when they left for the day, the posts were up but not the fence.  

Apparently, the delivery truck didn't bring the concrete to set them up!  Tomorrow.  Quick setting, says Calvin (the boss), only need 30 minutes for fence posts.

Raul and Ignacio are the crew hauling the deck flooring to tuck it away for installation.

Ember was very curious when she got home. After supper, I took her out to meander in her section of the yard while I sat on a deck chair and watched her explore.

Wednesday June 17th

Ember reluctantly followed mom to the backyard by way of the front door and across the driveway to the gate.  Treats lured her inside for her morning P&P.

Enticing on the far end of the deconstruction zone was The Prisoner, who was getting his first look at the work in progress.

I stopped at the grocery on the way home.  By the time I got here, the crew were already working on the fence post setting.

Those propping timbers are being anchored in my neighbor's yard.  I hope the neighbors are going to be OK with this.  I didn't see it coming.  Three years ago the fence guys did not put up such props.  At least during the previous fence work three years ago the neighbors were OK with temporary access.  

I can see that I owe my neighbors something for the use of their yard!  At the very least to restore the space between the houses.

10:45 a.m. the skin of the fence is starting to be installed and the joists for under the deck floor are going up.  The front side of the fence is up, shielding from street view the storage area while work continues.

The props will be removed Thursday, according to the work crew.  

Steps are in, as is the deck floor.

The kitty came back inside, after spending a day out hunting.  He had to be shown where the steps were, then he trotted up them during Ember's last call and went back into his own safe space in the laundry room.

Thursday, June 18th

The day dawned beautifully, with cloud cover being sun kissed into a pink glow.

When I stepped out onto the newly installed deck floor to snap this photo, I was met with sprinkles of rain from those clouds.

When I took Ember out for her morning P&P in the backyard, I looked West and found a rainbow.  Rain had not been in the forecast. 

Ember happily went off to daycare.  I came home to find the workmen already starting their day. 

I have rails in progress!

Blog is getting too long already... so I'm going to leave it here and post.  

...  To be continued  ...

Life is good.  As always, it is "under construction".  Keep on Sparking, my friends!