Our heavy metal "playlist"

 In the past couple of weeks, we have wrangled some of our biggest projects. We have a list which we've been plugging away at for the past 6 months, and we have a deadline for a few things on that list since we're hosting Kaysee and Max's wedding on our property in June. The deadline is healthy because it pushes us to complete some things we might not otherwise want to even start. Some things on our list don't have to be completed by the wedding, so it's also forcing us to prioritize, which is good when the list feels as long as Santa's sleigh list. 

I've been watching the boys push past some genuine fatigue and there hasn't been a single bad attitude. We've been pretty intentional about taking rest days, but that somehow hasn't felt sufficient to overcome the tired and sore bodies. And then there's the normal expectations and schedule still ever present upon us. Sometimes, it feels like I'm on a tightrope, pushing a wheelbarrow of dirt and rocks and carrying a backpacking pack full to the top with expectations and responsibilities. 

We still have so much residue from the flooding of 2022. Our flagstone pathway disappeared underneath the flow of mud that came down and we are only now restoring it. Mark dug out the first chunk of it in late 2022, but the rest has remained buried since then. About 100 feet had to be removed because the rocks were too damaged. This past week, Madigan, Declan and I replaced that portion of the pathway, and added a sitting area underneath the aspens as well as a new area in front of the house where we will put my fountain (made from the stump we retrieved from my hill). In addition, Madigan and Kelton have been chipping away at the mud covered pathway that has not been uncovered yet. I'm working on the back side of the house and they're working around the other side so that we will, hopefully, meet in the middle soon! We're very excited with how it has come together! 

We also completed the outside fence of our pasture! This has been a burr up my booty for quite some time! It was compromised post-flooding, but it was literally the one fence that managed to remain standing. Devany, and the other horses decided to do their part and progressively destroy it over time. The grass is always greener on the other side, as we know, and that fence really didn't stand a chance. Austin helped me find and bring home a very heavy load of the fence panels a guy was getting rid of online. We installed cement posts into the ground, cut the posts down, bolted them to the cement and then Austin welded the whole thing together, coaching Declan through the process. The finished fence is a work of art! And good luck Devany and crew! 

The current mammoth project we are attempting to complete is the roof for our underground greenhouse. We've made good progress so far and the ideas for how we are going to use it are percolating again! Those beams are probably 1000 lbs each, and we manipulated them into place using Kelton's ingenuity/genius ideas and sheer human willpower. :-) 

Declan and I decided to get away and go hike up a pretty mountain on Saturday and even though it was a challenge we were both rejuvenated by the hike. Declan even found a square root for Aunt Debbie (who is teaching Declan to love Math!), made out of the root of a tree! 

We might work hard, but we still have time for all the delicious things in life.