Color Combo

We were happy to find that on the fourth of July, our deck provided a great view of nearby fireworks shows-- probably in San Marcos.

The elusive peacock still has not shown his face, although we can hear him screeching all the time, but the peahen stopped by our yard one evening to look for a snack.

Kitty is back to 100% after her surgery, and she continues to deliver various dead and dying creatures to the garage.  First, we received half a gopher; this time, it was most of a lizard.

After several weeks of painting and fussing over corners and trim, the interior walls are done!  Russell took the plunge with the first color selections, and I filled in the rest.  We used only Behr paint, of course.

the laundry room is a slightly lighter shade of "plum shadow" than the kitchen

a far cry from the bee fiasco two weeks ago

some great storage for linens and cleaning supplies

double vanity in the master bath with "crisp celery" walls

still need to find some vanity light fixtures...

green onyx tiles in the master shower

the study with "pale honey" walls

the guest room with "raffia ribbon" walls

the master bedroom with "harmonious" blue walls

the kitchen/living room with "raffia ribbon" and "plum shadow" accent

To Bee or Not to Bee

Some nagging bugs outside turned out to be a significant problem, and of course we waited until a long holiday weekend to do something about it!  Outside the laundry room door, some bees had been congregating under the eaves, but there was no visible nest or hive.  Russell sprayed foam in the most obvious openings in an effort to keep them out of the house, and a day later, the bees made a persistent and noisy entrance into the house through any available means: light fixtures, vents, outlets, etc.  Luckily the bees were limited mostly to the laundry room, which we closed up and temporarily did without.

Thankfully, some local exterminators were working on a lazy Saturday afternoon, and they came over within the hour.  With the help of our ladders and power tools, they cut into the crawl space above the laundry room and extracted 6 to 7 large honeycombs.  Too bad the combs were covered in insulation, or else they might have been a tasty treat.

Speaking of the birds and the bees, our almost-resident cat seems to be pregnant.  She suddenly puffed out last week, and the best explanation is the white male cat who lurks around the edge of the yard.  Darn those natural instincts!  Kitty will make a visit to the vet or the shelter next week... not yet sure which.

Kitty's new wide girth

One week later: Kitty took a trip to the vet to get fixed, and despite the trauma of being in a car and indoors for the first time in her life (not to mention in surgery), she has forgiven us and resumed hanging out in the driveway and stalking tennis balls.

Kitty post-surgery