weatherman: rain in the 'burbs

It's pouring. And I love a good rain especially when it's nice and warm out with a cool breeze...but then again who doesn't? I'm going to curl up on the couch and watch a movie. If only I could capture and upload the sound the rain makes on my chimney, you could enjoy my peaceful night, too.

garden ho: replanting

It's 80 degrees, muggy, overcast and just plain nasty outside. So what else would I do with my afternoon besides garden? I have to admit I am VERY new at this whole gardening thing. I continually call my gardener, aka mom, for tips and tricks so take it easy on me or give me some of your own tips on my new hobby.

Today I decided I just needed to replant my Bath's Pink. I started out with four (above) in a little spot near our shed in the backyard. Two were massacred by the ice we get all winter long in Rochester and the other two must have shot up on steroids because they are just massive. I'm not sure if I transplanted these bad boys correctly (as I did not consult my gardener this time) so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that within the next few days they'll perk up and add some life to the bottom of my dogwood tree!

Now I get to decide what to do with my newly emptied corner!

married life: amanda & george

Finally, things are calming down around here! I'm home for the rest of the day with my dear dog, Eddie and he and I are recuperating from a long weekend of festivities. Eddie got to spend the weekend in his favorite kennel and I had the pleasure of being in one of my dear friends' weddings! I got to take a straight shoot from Rochester to Grand Rapids, MI through Canada and have a ton of photos. I thought I would use this post to show a little bit of the fun we had this Memorial Day weekend as Amanda and George begin their married life!

garden ho: japanese knotweed

So there has to be an "inbetween" stage for finishing and beginning and beginning and finishing and I have decided to call it the process. I think this may start my first recurring blog post.

This one is dedicated to the fact that I may never actually finish getting rid of the Japanese Knotweed that has been creeping into our yard since the first day we bought the house.

This is what our side yard looked like when we moved in July of 2006. That's my amazingly ambitious gardner/mother and my ever helpful step-dad pulling out the knotweed. What's in his right hand is actually a stalk from the other side of the fence (which is approx. 6' as is my step-dad) and everything in the foreground is knotweed as well. (I couldn't find a better pic right now but I know I have some somewhere).

So today the fight continued, almost three years later. If you also have a problem with Japanese Knotweed, I'd suggest checking out this site. Very informative. And if you're house-hunting and the garden has Japanese Knotweed in it...RUN!

P.S. For those not in the know, first of all, you are SO lucky. Secondly, "The Weed," as it will now be known, is an extremely invasive bamboo-like plant that can grow over six feet tall and devastate your yard if not properly attended to. Basically, if you don't pull the stuff every Spring, it will end up in your kitchen.

one more thing...

So I'm sort of lying when I tell people that I graduated this past Saturday. Truth is I am one upper division class shy of my diploma and today I begin that class and am so excited about it.

It's my first photography class and it's two full weeks (36 hours thanks to Memorial Day) of jump right in and do it photography. I can't wait to get there!

finish and begin

Tomorrow I graduate from college. (Not that it will be nearly as picturesque as the above photo as the ceremony is on a football field and the weatherman is calling for thunderstorms all day). Nonetheless, I am graduating.

6 years, 8 months and 18 days after I first stepped foot on the campus of Clarkson University.

And no, I'm not up for my third degree or Ph.D or even my masters. I'm excited to receive my very first bachelors degree. That's correct, 5 majors, 3 schools, and just over 8 semesters have finally allowed me to join the ranks of undergraduate alumni everywhere.

Tomorrow I graduate from The College at Brockport, State University of New York. Should be fun.