Monday, November 2, 2009 -

Sunday morning was the first time in quite a while that I have been able to take Minnie for a nice, long walk. Since she has been unable to run in the backyard for several weeks due to it being a mud pit, I packed her into the car and made the short drive to Radnor Lake. The morning air was crisp and she was invigorated by it. Usually we just have deer and other dogs to entertain us on our walks, but Sunday we had turtles, fish, ducks, and geese to go along with the deer. In addition, the trees were beautiful and the leaves were just starting to fall and cover the walking paths. The leaves, soaked by the morning dew, made the walkways slick as ice in some spots and made it tough navigating a 75-pound dog who is interested in, well, everything through the three-mile hike. If we could get the fence erected once again in the backyard, I think she could release all of her energy there. It looks like at least five straight days of sunny weather has the potential of drying things up quite nicely; at least well enough where I simply have to spray the dirt off her instead of scrubbing off the mud. Gravel was used today to cover the base of the excavated area in preparation for pouring concrete on Tuesday. I was beginning to think the only use for the gravel was to provide traction for all the machinary in the back yard. The sewer line was redirected, as well, without a stink. Inspection number two is scheduled for Wednesday as is the delivery of the lumber. The lumber delivery, if it happens, would actually be three days ahead of schedule, which would certainly be a first for this project.