Day 12 - the big rain

Well, we had our first big rain of the season last night - about 50mm in 12 hours. I'm not sure how much damage was done to the lawn...time will tell.

Day 11

Day 10 - you can see the green

This is the best part of the lawn. I think it has a little more shelter and a little more warmth. But the rest is coming along.

Day 9 - all reved up

This...leads to this... Yes, it's an experienced machine. With the grass being new, and me not having a lawn to mow for the past 8 years, I thought it would be good to have someone that knew what it was doing. Any ideas for a name?

Day 8 - The real thing at last!

Hold on to yer seats, folks! I think we have the real thing starting to show. The previous two blades have obviously been imposters. Now this is something you can SEE and FEEL! You have to look really, really close (you can actually see grass in the picture below), but if you brush your hand just over the dirt you can feel the new blades! It is just on one section of the lawn, but it is the area that is the most sheltered with the most sun, so hopefully the others areas will be showing signs of germination soom...like maybe TOMORROW?

Day 7 - signs of life?

Another sign of life?

Day 6

Okay...now I know where they get the saying that "This is as exciting as watching grass grow..."

Day 5

Ah-ha! There has been a deer on my lawn...and a dog...and a kid with little rubber boots...

Day 4 - the first blade?

Things were looking pretty much the same today, but then I saw IT! Is this blade really the first grass to grace my dirt? Is this a biological over-achiever? Or is this just an imposter? A weed that has lurked in my dirt for a week before sprouting and decieving my inexperienced, naive grass growing mind? Only time will tell...

Day 3

Rainy day..but that's okay.

Day 2

Still no grass, but remain optimistic. Good day for growing. Rain in the morning, partly sunny for the afternoon. Went mower shopping, but decided that purchase wasn't urgent. Here is a close up. Mostly looks like ground-up recycled paper...

Day 1

No grass yet...but I went lawn-mower shopping! (Faith in action...)

Day Zero

Hydro-seeding! Oh joy! What bliss! Grass at last!!! (Faith is about unseen things hoped for...)

Day Zero minus 1

The dirt is ready! I'm gonna have a lawn!

Wheel Barrow Racing!

After living on the prairies and in Richmond, we thought a multi-level yard would be nice for a change. Hmmmm. About now, flat sounds really good.

Day Zero minus 1 week

It's a dirty job...but we want a lawn! See my head behind the big dirt pile? We had 55 cubit yards of dirt to move - that's 3 big dump truck loads. No wonder I'm tired...

Day Zero minus 13 months

Here's what we started with...

Facebook Dictionary

Here's an some helpful info I stumbled across for those of you feeling out of the loop regarding Facebook. Now you can know what everyone else is talking about without ever going near the 'crack cocain' of the internet...

FACEBOOK.COM (n) – a social utility Web site launched by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg in February 2004. First open to Ivy League schools, then expanded to Boston universities and soon to thousands of colleges, businesses and regions worldwide. Anyone 13 and older can register for a free account with a valid e-mail address. The site allows users to create a personal profile and connect with friends, colleagues and classmates, as well as other people within their networks.

PROFILE (n) – 1. personal user page where you can upload a picture, photo albums, personal information and list interests, activities, favorite movies, books and music. Numerous privacy settings allow control over who can view the profile.2. An obligatory self-encapsulation, often done with wit and irreverence (and questionable accuracy).

NETWORK (n) – Facebook is not one big site; upon registering, you can choose to join networks depending on your location, school or employer. You can only view the profiles of people you add as friends or those with whom you share a network.Example: Brad is a member of the Los Angeles, Weinstein Company and University of Missouri networks.

NEWS FEED (n) – An automatic personal breaking news blog that appears on the home page. It lists any and all activity of friends on the site, with a few exceptions. The feature was met with outrage when introduced in September 2006, with more than 700,000 users joining the group “Students Against Facebook News Feed.” The creators quickly established more privacy settings so users could limit what showed up on the News Feed.

MINI-FEED (n) – The more specific version of the News Feed that appears on a profile and reports only on recent stories relevant to that person’s activity on Facebook. Stories can be deleted by the user.

TAGGING (v) – This is not a case of who’s “it.” It means to upload unlimited photographs into an album that appears on Facebook and then identify which people are present in the photographs. The tagged photos show up on their profile. It is possible to “untag” unwanted photos that will not appear on the profile but remain in the original album.

FRIENDING (v) – To add someone as a Facebook friend, allowing the person to see a version of your profile.

FACEBOOKING (v) – General activity when logged into Facebook, whether searching for people, checking updated profiles, leaving wall posts, etc.See also: procrastinating.

POKE (v) – The virtual tap on the shoulder to draw attention. A notification appears on the home page that someone has poked you. Universal definitions and connotations of “the poke” vary from the innocent to the explicit.

EVENTS (n) – Instead of sending invites via snail mail, let people know about upcoming parties, gatherings, promotions, charity events, elections, etc. Guests can RSVP and see who else is on the list. It’s inevitable that someday weddings will be announced via Facebook.FACEBOOK

PLATFORM (n) – 1. a new feature where users can develop templates to make customized additions to their profile. Examples: the “Where I’ve Been” application maps past, present and future travels. “The Office” application delivers the wisdom of Dwight and Michael. Users can also give people “Free Gifts” such as random icons of a cactus or birthday cake.2. Part of Facebook’s plan for world domination. Soon, everything will be found on Facebook, such as music, movies, stores, etc.

THE WALL (n) – A profile feature that lets others leave public comments. Often used for birthday wishes, inconsequential banter and brief notes. Debates rage on about whether it’s appropriate to carry on a full conversation on the wall.

MESSAGES (n) – A more informal version of e-mail that gives users a private way to send notes to friends.

GROUPS (n) – A collection of people who have similar interests or ideas, with various degrees of seriousness.Example: “I Support Hilary Clinton,”, “Red Sox Nation,” “You Know You’re From Nashua When . . .”

MARKETPLACE (n) – Classified section where users can buy and sell anything. The Facebook eBay.

STATUS (n) – Let people know what you’re doing right this second. Comparable to the AIM away message. However, it only appears in the present continuous grammatical tense.Example: “Eileen is writing a Facebook dictionary.”

– EILEEN HYNES

We're Back

You probably didn't even know we were gone. Heather, if you want to see all the pictures, you have to get on Facebook. Come on, I'll be your friend!