That is correct, 4! We need 4 tuners to capture all the programming Karen consumes in a given week. She had to make some tough choices this programming season. Still, with all that paring down, she missed some shows because my zombie thing bumped her program.

Can I get a w00t for The Walking Dead?

This year, to save her from tears, I am getting her something special. (Wham! reference, you are welcome).

No, it is not a surprise. Congratulate her when you talk with her again. Ask her about her shows and conflicts. Tell her The Walking Dead was worth it!

Karen desperately tried to miss her 44th birthday. Thursday evening while calmly reading her book she announced that something was not right. Her hands and tongue were itchy. Within 30 minutes of panic and failed remedies I had to call 911. She was turning blue and losing consciousness.

A police officer, 3 EMTs and 5 other emergency workers saved her life and got her to the hospital. Hours of monitoring and tests later we know it was anaphylaxis but we do not know the cause.

Good News: while the episode was exhausting the only residual damage is a face bruise caused by hitting the tile floor in a bout of lost consciousness. Well, and a poker hand worth of prescriptions! Puppy and Mommy will be fine, after a good long rest.

75 Red Cedar Planks
50 1x3 boards
12 cubic feet of pea gravel
8 cubic yards of top soil
7 pounds of weight loss
50 wheel barrow trips to the driveway and back

She finally has her garden. I placed the last wheel barrow full of top soil in the last box this morning. We set up irrigation, planted and set up cages this morning.

There is a Mojito Mint garden, Herb garden, Pepper and Onion garden, Tomato and Basil garden, Cucumber garden, Watermelon patch and Corn field. Who is coming to the lake this summer?

Inspiration: Oakville
Photos: Construction

I installed some garden boxes in the yard in Year One here at 6. That garden has received many compliments from my family and friends. Mostly asking, “Did you build that?” That question gets asked with a combination of surprise that I could build such a project and the expectation that, if it is in my yard, I did build it.

Truth is it was a rather simple kit. The difficult part was leveling the ground under it and hauling the yard of dirt into it. The design and build was done for me.

The compliments came from friends and family, except my wife. While she does enjoy having a garden that provide fresh herbs, this was not the ultimate vision. She wanted more space, more height and a style to be named later.

Napa Valley Trip

In addition to cooking with the fresh garden herbs, she like wine. After years of reminding me, we finally took a trip to California Wine Country. She had millions of hotel, airline and rental car points. I thought, “Great!” this will be an almost free trip! I was very, very wrong.

She shipped cases of wine home. Cross country airfare suddenly became a pittance by comparison. I was, officially, duped.

I got over it and assembled a kit wine rack to hold her new library of rotten grape juice. I racked them up in her newly designed indexing scheme. I thought I was done.

Oakville Inspired

We stopped several times at the Oakville Grocery for lunches, water, fruit and other bits. Next to the Grocery is a showplace garden. It is a pea gravel covered lot with raised gardens in wooden boxes. She had acquired a vision.

She planned and plotted in Visio and Excel and handed me plans for her own showplace garden. We had some scraps left over from the famous Fence Saga. I designed and built some boxes. I am still destined to clear some of the yard, place the boxes, fill them with yards of fortified top soil and then drop the pea gravel between the boxes.

Photos: Garden Box Build

Tags: Fix It, 6