Raspberries and fireflies - life at Chez Dickey

I walked The Dog around the yard this morning. Every now and again I realize just how fortunate I am to have this great yard and this wonderful home. The Husband and I did not really want a big house - the one we have is plenty big for two people, one cat and one dog. We did want space and nature, which we definitely have here.

When we first moved in, our neighbor had two beautiful horses who lived in the field right behind our house. When we looked out our kitchen windows or sat on our deck, we could see the horses hanging out in their field. We would occasionally feed them apples or carrots (with our neighbor's permission), but mostly we just admired them.

The horses are gone now - as is the neighbor. We do still have many animals who visit Chez Dickey, including a multitude of songbirds (The Husband could name them all), deer, coyotes, red foxes, snakes, toads, tree frogs, skinks, spiders, weasels, woodchucks, and bats. Other birds we have seen in our yard include owls, hawks, and wild turkeys.

We have the yard we mow and the yard we leave alone. We have wildflowers and native Minnesota grasses, pine trees, oaks, maples, black walnuts, buckthorn, aspen, and poplars. One delight we have here are the wild raspberries. This year's a banner year for the black and red raspberries, and the blackberries should be strong this year too (they'll arrive later on).

Another simple joy we have are the fireflies. In June and into July, we have a light show every evening. It's almost as if the paparazzi are out there, flashing away - yet we have total privacy. We've caught a few, only to let them go right away. It's just fun to see them in a jar, flashing their light as if it's an SOS (I can just hear them, "Let me out of this jar! I need to be free!")

We have so much, but it is nice to just enjoy the simple gifts, isn't it?

In memoriam

RIP - My home air conditioner (1986-2007)

After a long, warm illness (i.e., running all the time and the interior temperature would still be 83°), we had our AC checked this morning. The news was not good.

Well, we have only purchased two houses and both needed new units. Next time we buy a house, you know the first thing I will check is the AC! (Fortunately, we are not going to be house-shopping for many years.)

Bah!

A Bar... with character

In our first home, the Husband and I had a bar in our basement. It came with the house and was a little unique -- it was made out of brick.

Now that we're in our second house, we kinda want a bar again. This house did not come with a bar, but it did come with an ideal spot for one. So ideal that the previous owners actually had plumbing installed so any future bar could have a sink. This does not mean that we have to have a sink if we get a bar, but why not take advantage of the situation? It would be darn handy -- and the only other sink in the basement is in the bathroom.

So - here's the thing... what type of bar do we want, how do we want it set up, and how can we get this done without breaking the bank? Did I mention that we have discussed simply purchasing a bar (from HOM, for example), but we agreed that those types of bars just don't have a lot of "character." We want something unique (but not made of brick this time).

What to do? Any suggestions? Anyone know a handyperson who can make stuff like this?