Holistay

This past week, I took some time off work to finish projects around the house. Only two small tasks actually got done, but at least I had time to relax during my holistay. (I don't care that Merriam-Webster has formally adopted "staycation," John Hodgman's suggestion on the Daily Show is a far superior term.)

The dining room now has sheers. You can't tell in the photo, but the fabric is a loosely woven grid, appropriate for the square room of square things.



And we finally planted a couple of houseplants in the vintage ceramic pots acquired on our last trip to Abilene.



On Wednesday, I drove to Waco for dinner with my mom, who was there for the Texas Association of Convention and Visitors' Bureaus conference. We saw a lot of bridges and a few historic homes while I was there.





Today was Laika's last day at puppy class. She was more distracted than usual by dogs outside the classroom door and only won two of five contests. Kerbey was better at returning when called, leaving distracting toys and goodies, and musical sit. Laika more consistently stayed, and we're teaching her to read. If you don't believe me, ask for a demonstration next time you're over!

Finally!

The landscaping is going in for the last house to be constructed across the street from us. The end is in sight!



We've also heard that the lot for the Meritage construction trailer, across from the other end of the block, has gone on the market. Once the trailer is moved and the house built, all of the construction in our immediate vicinity will be complete.

I Wanna Be Sedated

Thursday was a busy day. Laika got spayed. We went to the last of five presentations from solar companies seeking to do a group installation in our neighborhood. And we attended the opening ceremony for Mueller's solar Sunflowers, public art over a year in the making.

"Sunflowers: An Electric Garden" is a scattered line of 16-22' tall blue flowers with 30 kilowatts of solar-panel petals. The panels are grid-tied, but a small part of the power they produce lights electric blue stamen at night. They are very eye-catching from Interstate-35 and provide illumination for the hiking trail of the Northwest Greenway.

The dedication was attended by Brewster McCracken, former city councilman and mayoral candidate, and head of the Pecan Street Project; Councilwoman Laura Morrison; artists Mags Harries and Lajos Héder; and many of our neighbors. The sunflowers slowly light of their own accord, without timers. When we left, only three were illuminated. We need to go back later in the evening with a tripod for some better photographs.





Laika feels fine after her surgery; in fact, she's painfully bored. We've been feeding her sedatives, but this is going to be a long week. Her favorite outside toy is a piece of wood she dug out from under the neighbor's fence. Look at those big dog teeth!



More to come on solar once we've gotten our first quote.