The battle is over..

Yes friends, the end has finally come. No cease-fire was declared, no surrendering took place. However, there was a prisoner captured, and hopefully, never to be released. We were not going to be defeated this time. When we first moved into our house, our drip system worked perfectly. Little by little, it lost pressure and Scooter was sure we had a leak somewhere in the grid...but where? And how do you find it if you don't have the layout plans from when it was installed? The battle was about to begin. A little history here about my darling husband first. He was overdosed at birth with pride. He blatantly refuses to ask for directions when our GPS fails us. Even in stores, he won't ask where an item is, so we walk endless aisles until I get tired and frustrated enough to finally overrule him and ask an employee. Keeping this in mind, calling a landscape company was completely out of the question. My Scooter was NOT going to be defeated, so for the past nearly four years, when time permitted, he dug holes all over our yards. We began thinking it was the valves and started replacing parts. They needed it anyway, but it still didn't solve our problem. I have never had a drip system anywhere I have ever lived, so watering plants and gardens by hand was not foreign to me at all. It bothered us more though to see water running down off our yard into the gutter, and fearing a citation from the city for wasting water. The whole issue had us completely stymied! Scooter decided on Sunday to transform into a mole again and start digging. He got down to the pipes under the walkway that leads to our front door, and still no visible signs of anything that would cause the system to completely stop altogether. He decided that given the system is 15 years old, perhaps the rubber tubing needed to be replaced. The tubing was inside some PVC pipe, we're guessing because it was put in before the sidewalk was poured and to keep it from collapsing from the weight of the cement. Scooter was determined not to be outsmarted by some plastic pipe and tubing. After all, he keeps iron horses rolling down the tracks! He grabbed his pipe cutters and the pvc pipe wouldn't budge. WTH??? He then decided to use a hacksaw blade. Sheesh, it took at least 30 minutes of sawing on it back and forth. C'mon, it's only 3/4" pipe...what on earth is the deal here!?!? Well, let me show you the 'root' (pun inteneded) of our battle for the past four years...

See that black line in there? That would be our drip system tubing being squeezed shut by the root you see in there.

Just amazing! I have never seen this happen, but obviously, it does. Who would've guessed? This tree may have to go! It's a lovely Liquid Amber and has gorgeous colors in the Fall, but it is nothing but a source of constant grief for us. It throws those spike like balls at you, and apparently is a very thirsty fella. Scary to think it could be going underneath the foundation to our house. The previous owners didn't think that way though when they planted it about 10 feet from the house. By this next winter, it may become firewood, but for now, problem solved and I'm awarding my husband the Medal of Valor!

I know I have said this many times before, but I belong to THE best knitting group evah!!! If you knit or crochet and don't belong to one, or can't find one in your area, organize one!! I love all the different personalities of my knit sibs. I love that I have a place to go to share a common love of my knitting, as well as a place to go whether I'm happy or sad. I love sharing ideas and opinions with all of them, so when I walked in last night, and showed my friend Toni a pair of socks I had started yesterday, but was thinking about frogging and starting a different pattern, she said "Oh NOOO Deedee, you LIKE these!" I said "I DOOOO??" and she said "Oh YES YOU DO!" Granted, I was only a few rows in on the lace bit, and I guess I just wasn't seeing what Toni was. I am now LOVING these socks and without her encouragement, they might have never been! Thank you Toni for motivating me to go on!! I present to you.....my Teaberry Shuffle Socks. The pattern name is actually Openwork Rib Socks, by Charlene Schurch and I'm using mmmmmmMalabrigo in the colorway Light of Love. Teaberry was my favorite gum as a kid, and the color reminds me of the package it came in. They are supposed to be for a gift, so if I can bring myself to part with them, I will have to knit a pair for me too. The lace is a four stitch pattern repeat, so it's quick and easy to memorize, and the yarn is just ohsoscrumptious!!!!

It is a very quiet and peaceful morning. Scooter is at the gun club he belongs to, and I'm so happy the weather is just gorgeous for him. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet today...maybe make a pitcher of iced tea with fresh lemons and enjoy it out on our patio with a good book or my knitting. I'll let you know later......:=)

I've got some research to do as well. I have never shared this because...well, just because. I won't go into the whole story of the hows and whys, but when Scooter was a child of nine years old, he had a little brother that was killed at the age of three. With him being the oldest, he remembers it well and it was very traumatic for him. "Baby boy" is interred in their hometown of Pocatello, and because his parents weren't financially able back then, a headstone was never purchased. We visited the cemetery last week while we were there and while the temporary marker is still in place, it's hard to see. The grass grows over it and my brother-in-law does what he can to visit often to try to keep it from becoming completely invisible, but the mowers are wearing the letters off. It saddens us, so we are all going in together for a beautiful headstone to be placed on "Baby boy's" grave....one that the mowers will have to go around rather than over. I will be looking for the perfect one to share the information with my brothers-in-law. At the cemetery, there is a small chapel whose architecture, (French Gothic Style) I just love.

The Brady Memorial Chapel was named after a dominant figure in the Republican Party in Idaho for several years, serving as Idaho's governor from 1908-1911, and U.S. Senator from 1913 until his death in 1918.

After Senator Brady passed away, his widow, Irene Brady, and his heirs erected this beautiful, gothic, meditation chapel as a memorial. Lots adjacent to the chapel were given by the city to the family as a permanent public park. The chapel was given to the city by Irene Brady and his sons, S. E. Brady and J. Robb Brady. In 1959, after Irene M. Brady's death, the Pocatello city council reached an agreement with the remaining heirs for the ashes of the Senator and Mrs. Brady to be removed and buried behind the chapel.

Thirty nine years after its construction, which had always been open to the public, was now locked and used for storage. In 1988, the Mayor and the Cemetery Committee, agreed that it should be restored because of its beauty and history. It has beautiful stained glass windows that you can't see in my picture, but I'm sure they will be cleaned up. The construction of the chapel took three years. I'm looking forward to watching the restoration progress on this lovely little gem.

(In this pic: my husband reading the plaque that tells the history of the chapel)

Well, I think I have covered just about enough this morning....have a lovely day/afternoon and I will see you again soon!