No lawn tools were harmed in the beautifying of this yard.

It is done. The backyard is once again a showplace:



I mowed, used the weedeater as it was intended (instead of in lieu of a machete), filled the birdbaths and bird feeder, watered the potted plants, returned all the furniture to where it belongs, weeded the flower beds, and even pulled up the very decrepit, overgrown, half-dead looking rosemary bush from my herb garden. Whew.

I'm a little tired and a little sunburned, but I do feel relieved at finally getting things under control out there. The hay-like color of the lawn is a little distressing, but honestly, in any other year, it would've looked like that starting in June, so it's nothing I'll lose sleep over. I've got web worms in my sweet gum tree that I may try to oust, and I'm going re-pot a few plants, but that stuff is small potatoes compared to today's overhaul.

So, now it's party time! That's right - tonight I reward myself with...a trip to the grocery store!!! Back up, people, she is breakin' out!!!

(Lest I be seen as a loser, tomorrow night I'm going to rock the house, Canadian-style - or, rather, rock the outdoor ampitheater. I'm going to see Rush at the Verizon Wireless Ampitheater. It'll be cool to see Rush, but I find this venue a ridiculous idea. It's an outdoor theater in a place where the temperatures reach "public safety notice" levels. Why on earth would you purposely build something in Central Texas that is supposedly for people's enjoyment but is *designed* to not include air conditioning? That's like designing a building that won't include oxygen. "Now, get in there and have a good time!!!")