Today was a little rough.  It rained.  Not a lot was accomplished except trying to placate a bored toddler.

In an attempt to entertain my girl, we went outside where, by chance, I spoke to one of my neighbors.  She is a really friendly, elderly lady.  What stands between her and the perfect backyard?  Our overgrown, tree-like border hedge.

I’d like to identify it before we trim it back to a respectable height.  The previous owners also planted bamboo in two different spots in our backyard.  Bamboo is invasive, even in these northerly climes.  In the week that we have been here, the little saplings have become two, out-of-control groves.  One is blocking access to the greenhouse, and the other is about to attack our house.  I would like to cut it back this week, at least until we can determine whether to contain or destroy it.  This past week, my husband cleared out several infestations of stinging nettle that grew alongside the entire house.  The yard is overgrown, in general, but it is a good learning opportunity to discover the native species in this part of the world.  Before we clear out the underbrush, I’d like to catalog as much as I can.

Meanwhile…

The kitchen was in this state for most of the day.

This is my temporary office where nothing is set up.

The studying situation.

We are still in the process of moving.  The heavy, central furniture is still at our old place, hopefully to be brought over this week before everyone goes on vacation.  Until those pieces come over, there’s not a lot of organization that can be done.  I squeeze in school work when there is time, but as you can see, I sometimes blow off steam by typing up a blog post.

The World Cup is also helping us relax,  Here, the games start live at 6pm, 9pm and 12am.  Lucky time slot for us!