Fred and Valerie

(Download warning: Sorry for all the photos, but they’re kind of necessary to adequately describe the beginning of our garden)

Valerie and I are in the process of putting in a garden on the property line between us and the lone neighbor that we don’t have a “natural fence” with. We figure that a garden is better than installing a fence, plus it gives us the opportunity to get away from our computers and do some gardening.

To this point, it’s been a very long process of getting started, but we took advantage of the extended Memorial Day weekend to get things really going.

Here’s some of the photographic documentation:

Like I said, this has been a very long process. This photo was taken on May 6th and the garden’s grass (inside the roped off area) had not been cut since it was roped off.

In preparation of finally cutting the garden’s grass, I took down the ropes and re-painted the border.

The garden’s grass has been officially scalped. Note how tall the remaining grass is to the right and you’ll get an idea of how tall the garden’s grass was before being cut.

The garden’s grass was so tall that I had to re-re-paint the border. Most of it had gotten chopped away when I mowed the grass.

This is the results of my first attempt at tilling the garden. That dirt area is approximately one inch deep, if that much. It became quite clear that we were dealing with very hard soil and a normal tiller was not going to do the job.

All of the above photographs were taken on May 6th. After the experience with the tiller, I looked online to find out about tilling very hard soil. It turns out that we were going to need a rear tine tiller to do the job. I called around and I called some more and I called even more before finding out that a rear tine tiller was not going to be an option for us for various reasons. Plan B began taking shape and commenced on Memorial Day Weekend.

Plan B involved soaking the garden area with water for approximately 2-3 hours. I then let the water soak into the ground for another 1-2 hours. The ground was still too hard for a regular tiller, but it was surprisingly soft enough to drive a shovel into. A full day later, I had turned over all the soil in the garden with a shovel. The blisters were plentiful.

Though it looks like the same day as the previous photo, this photo was taken after Valerie and I spent Sunday morning (starting at 6 am!) and Sunday late afternoon picking up each clump of grass and shaking off the dirt. You can still see some clumps in the distance that need to be shaken and the perspective of the photo distorts it a bit as we were only about 2/3 of the way at this point.

By mid-Monday morning, Valerie and I had completed the de-dirting of the clumps of grass. This is what was left.

Thankfully, Ace Hardware was open on Memorial Day, the tiller they rent was available, and they open at 7 am which meant we could return the tiller before going to work on Tuesday. The stars were aligned and we rented the tiller and tilled our newly loosened soil. Oh, happy days!

To ammend our soil, we added in sand (because our soil has a lot of clay in it), lime (to help with acidity), compost/manure (for fertilization), and peat moss (for fertilization). The white stuff in the photo is the lime and the darker brown stuff is the peat moss. The sand and compost/manure are not visible.

It’s tilling time! Actually, this is post-tilling time. By the time this was done, it was late afternoon on Monday. The result was well-fertilized soil that should give us a nice garden for quite a while. Now we just have to add the Preen (weed preventer) and Mulch and then we can start planting.

This is what your arm might look like after playing around with sand, lime, compost/manure, and peat moss while wearing gardening gloves. The water in the shower was black for quite a while.

On the recommendation of our friend John, Valerie and I rented “Hustle & Flow” tonight. We started watching it and about 10 minutes into it we realized that we both needed the subtitles. Those are some THICK accents/drawls/whatevers. We’ll update how much we liked the movie when it’s done.

UPDATE: The movie’s done and it was pretty good. Terrence Howard certainly earned his Oscar nomination and the soundtrack was pretty good. All in all, worth the rental… especially since it was a Grand Opening special $0.99 rental from Video Warehouse.

As we were walking through the parking lot of Wal-Mart this evening, Valerie wondered aloud, “If we didn’t work where we work, do you think over time we would assimilate [into the Stuarts Draft/Waynesboro type of person]?”

It took me a while to stop laughing.

This is it! It’s come down to Taylor Hicks and Katharine McPhee to determine the winner of Season 5 of American Idol. The idols get to sing songs we’ve already heard them perform this week, so it’ll be interesting to see what they pick. Here’s betting that Katharine goes with “Over the Rainbow” for one of her songs. If she doesn’t, she doesn’t deserve even the slightest chance of winning.

Hey, Mandy Moore and Ben Stiller are in the house. Gotta’ love how hip it’s become to be seen at an American Idol taping. Didn’t all the critics say Hollywood would shun American Idol when it first burst on the scene?

How weird do you think Chris Daughtry feels being in the audience? I wonder if he’s thinking, “It should be me,” over and over and over again.

Katharine McPhee (Song 1)
This is a good song for Katharine to start out with. It’s got a lot of soul to it and it should allow her to follow it with a slow song to show her versatility. I think she’s doing good, but I don’t really feel it; not like I would expect to be feeling it in the Finals. Overall, I thought it was good, but I get the feeling that Taylor’s going to come out and blow that away. Randy’s not digging it completely, but he liked it better than the first time. Paula, as usual, has nothing to say. “America loves you?” Gee, really? I think Simon nailed it: “good.”

I wonder if her family sent the roses. Nothing wrong with that, but they definitely have the money to do it.

Taylor Hicks (Song 1)
This is a Taylor Hicks song all the way. I’m not sure I care for the outfit, but the song is definitely what he needed to start with. I wish he’d follow this up with Elvis’ “In the Ghetto.” We’ll see. I’m not feeling this quite as much as I normally do with Taylor. I’m wondering if both contestants have a few jitters to start. He’s coming on strong and it’s helping. Paula’s drunk. Overall, I thought it was pretty good. Not quite the nail in the coffin that it could have been, but it was better than Katharine. Randy thought it was hot. Paula’s drunk (and about to pop out of her dress). Simon made a joke! He didn’t like the jacket, but Simon thinks Round 1 went to Taylor. I agree 100%.

Looks like Katharine will indeed be singing “Over the Rainbow.” It’s coming up next.

Katharine McPhee (Song 2)
There’s no doubt that this is a great song for Katharine. It’s perfect for her voice and for showing her range. Uh oh! She had to pull out her ear thingy because it was hanging in front of her. Let’s see if she stays in tune. Sounding good, so far. I don’t like the pained expression, but it’s hard to deny the singing. Okay, I didn’t care for that little bit of up-and-down-and-up-and-down. A little TOO much styling there. I think some of the notes hurt Valerie, but I think the voters will like it. “Daddy’s crying because she’s going home,” says Valerie. I agree with Valerie that she sang it better last week. It was good, but it’s beatable. Randy thought it was hot. Paula thinks she’s got God-given talent and has made all the fathers and little girls and little Smurfs proud. Simon thought it was her best performance of the competition. I disagree a bit and Valerie wants to know where her ear candles are. I do have to admit that it was quite a feat to pull that off with no key to go by.

Taylor Hicks (Song 2)
It’s not “In the Ghetto,” but it’s a good song choice none the less. A great way to follow up the more lively first song. Um, Taylor, where’s the soul? He’s going to have to bring it on. Okay, he’s bringing it on a bit more. Still, I think Katharine might win this “round.” Overall a good performance, but following Katharine’s “Over the Rainbow” with that didn’t help. Still, really good. Randy got it. Taylor’s pitchiness is his essense? Paula’s clearly drunk. Simon is dead on tonight.

And now we get the debut singles. This is make or break for both of them…

Katharine McPhee (Song 3)
Her mom was always home. She always heard scales. She’s been singing ever since she could understand. Stage mom, anyone? Her debut song is “My Destiny.” Appropriate. It’s starting off really well. Somebody definitely wrote this song for her. Whoa, I didn’t care for that high note, but she’s doing quite well otherwise. Her dad’s crying again. I’m liking it, but I’m not completely into it. It sounds professional, but the door’s still open for Taylor. Ew, I didn’t like that little part at all. “Ugh,” was Valerie’s response to that high note. I have to agree. She just doesn’t sound right coming down the home stretch. She would have been much better of if that had just stayed a nice slow song. Overall, it was okay, but I didn’t really feel it. Randy’s blaming it on the song. And the way Paula’s responding, it sounds like she’s also blaming the song. Simon says she “went from brilliant to quite good within one song,” and I agree.

Taylor Hicks (Song 3)
Hey it’s Taylor’s dad! Finally we get to see some family! Taylor’s song is “Do I Make You Proud?” He’s getting a lot more crowd response compared to Katharine, in my opinion. This is sounding good. I like the way it’s starting out soft and gentle because you know he’s going to be rocking it soon. Yeah, this is a Taylor Hicks song! If he can keep this up, like he is, he’ll win. No doubt about it. Okay, I’m getting chills again. This is vintage Taylor. “What a sucky song,” is Valerie’s response. I disagree. I liked it. A lot! Okay, he can cut out the “Soul Patrol” stuff now. Randy didn’t seem to care for the song, but definitely liked Taylor. Paula thinks he was better than the song. Simon thinks Taylor just won American Idol. I agree.

Quick Recaps
Katharine was okay, really good (though Valerie said, “Yuck.”), and okay. Taylor was really good, okay, and great.
No doubt about it in my mind. The next American Idol is Taylor Hicks.

We’re down to the Top 3 and Ryan says everybody is surprised that Chris Daughtry left last week. Well, if he had read last week’s blog entry, he wouldn’t be surprised. Based on Taylor getting to sing an extra song on the results show, it seems like I nailed last week’s finishing order. Don’t worry, it’s not giving me a big head. I’ve mis-guessed too many to let one week make me think I’m an American Idol expert.
On with the show! Let’s find out who will entertain us from the Kodak Theatre next week. Clive Davis is helping out this week, so song selection shouldn’t be an issue… at least for the first songs.

Elliott Yamin
Elliott doing a rock song should be interesting. Valerie was hopping on the Elliott Yamin Bandwagon this week until she found out he smokes. She’s decided to go with Taylor because he’s not taking care of his voice and is disrespecting his instrument. Can’t say I disagree. I have to admit that this is a good song for Elliott. Clive Davis continues to show his genius. This is really good. It doesn’t sound forced or like he’s trying too much. It might be a BIT karaoke in the sense that he’s not changing it up too much. Valerie thinks he should have opened his arms up some more instead of holding the mic stand the whole time. Is Randy Jackson tied to EVERY single band out there? Hey, Simon agrees with Valerie!!! I actually think that’s really good advice for Elliott. He does need to loosen up a bit. Overall, good, but he didn’t set the bar too high.

Katharine McPhee
An underage girl singing a song performed by a guy who likes underaged girls. Appropriate. Uh-oh! Katharine sounded sick when she was talking with Clive!!! Okay, she doesn’t sound sick now that she’s singing. I don’t even have to look to know that Valerie’s cringing on those high notes. I’m liking this better than Elliott’s performance even though the notes aren’t making me feel it too much. I definitely like the arrangement and the performance factor. Valerie said, “she did a Taylor!” Whoo! Uh-oh, Randy and Paula are getting on the song choice. That’s pretty bad when Clive Davis picked the song! I actually agree with Simon. It wasn’t that bad. Not that great, but not that bad. Valerie thinks, “Simon just wants to get into her pants.”

Taylor Hicks
Taylor doing Bruce Springsteen should work great, but he looks a bit disinterested when Clive was talking about it. Wow! Clive made a personal call to The Boss to let Taylor perform the song! Holy crap! Taylor sang the first 6 words and I got chills. “Oh wow,” was Valerie’s reaction. This is DEFINITELY a Taylor Hicks type of song! Okay, stop dancing with Paula, Taylor. It’s not helping you. Still, this is great. Yeah, I REALLY liked that. Perfect song choice by Clive. Taylor needs to send him a big thank you! Randy and Paula got it right. Simon’s a bit off base. That was more than okay. Yeah, Paula’s drunk.

After the first songs, I have it Taylor, Katharine (barely!), and Elliott. This next song could make it or break it for Katharine and Elliott. Let’s hope the judges picked well.

Elliott Yamin
Elliott’s in Richmond and finding out what song he’s going to sing. Ryan thinks Simon is acting like a child? Has he looked in the mirror or at Paula lately? Ryan’s a dumbass. On with the singing Elliott! The slow song is a nice change from his first song. Too bad Paula picked it. I wonder if she’ll say it was a bad song choice. He’s doing pretty good, but I still don’t feel him cutting loose. He’s better than the first song, so Katharine’s going to have to be better to stay in. Overall, I liked it. Again, not great, but better than the first song. I’m with Randy. Paula thinks he, “pierced the heart.” Interesting. I’m probably somewhere between Randy and Simon on that one. If I had heard that performance on its own, I wouldn’t put him through to the Finals based on that.

Katharine McPhee
“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” is actually a great song for her. Dammit! She’s on the frickin’ floor again. Get up and sing!!! If she stays there the whole song, she’s out. Valerie thinks they have an echo on her. I think I hear it, too. This is definitely a great song for her. It shows her low range and that’s a good thing. I know Valerie’s cringing on this high part, but I think she’s doing good. I’m liking her arrangement of the song. Elliott might be in trouble… even though Katharine’s stayed on the floor. I wish she would stand up and be a bit more animated or “into the song.” That’s a PERFECT ending note for her. And she held the entire note! I agree with Randy, Paula, AND Simon. That was great. Elliott’s in trouble.

Taylor Hicks
You knew Randy was going to pick Joe Cocker for Taylor. No doubt about it. Hey, Randy, did you help Cocker with that song? Just kidding, dog. Again, I’m loving the slow song as a follow-up to the more fast paced he sang first. He’s TOTALLY into this and it shows. Wow! I have so many chills it’s just ridiculous. I feel like I’m watching a seasoned veteran up there on stage. Damn! He’s just absolutely nailing this song! Just the right amount of animation, singing, and passion. Just the right amount of everything. Okay, THAT was the performance of the competition. That makes Elliott and Katharine look like karaoke singers. That was an amazing compliment from Simon and I can’t disagree at all. For that to come from someone who didn’t think Taylor would make it has to mean a lot to Taylor.

Elliott Yamin
Following that performance by Taylor might be a bad thing for Elliott. He’s singing that he believes, but I’m not really believing. He still hasn’t put the passion in the song. At least not as much as Taylor. I’m not sure I wouldn’t hear this if I went to the local karaoke night. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good and all, but this pales in comparison to the performance that preceded it. It was overall okay, but this has been Taylor’s show to this point. Randy and Paula think it was bad song choice. Simon thinks Elliott’s songs won’t carry him through to next week, but does think he’s got a great personality. So, he’s like a blind date? Elliott’s still in trouble, in my opinion.

Katharine McPhee
Katharine’s going old school. She doesn’t want to be compared to anybody who’s current. Let’s see if it works for her. It seems like her type of song, that’s for sure. I wonder if it might be too old, though. She’s too busy looking at where she’s walking. Just walk. And sing. Yep, Elliott’s in trouble, even though Valerie just said, “oh, God” to that last note. I know she doesn’t like Katharine’s high notes, but they’ve seemed to work for her to this point. Based on that, I think she’s through to the next round. Not great, but better than Elliott. Randy wasn’t psyched about it. Paula’s referencing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” so that’s not good. I agree with Simon that it would have been better for them to end on their second songs. They’re still just not great at song selection. Interesting given how many weeks they’ve been in the competition.

Taylor Hicks
Taylor seems to have done some of the best song selection in the past out of the three remaining, so let’s see if he makes the gap even larger between himself and the other two. Taylor singing for the Soul Patrol. This could be the nail in the coffin. Out of all the performers that have come and gone on American Idol, I think Taylor is the one who most gets into the music. He’s engrossed in it and that translates to his audience. I’m digging this. I do think he would have been better of if he had ended with his second song, but there’s no doubt that he’s heads and tails beyond anything Elliott and Katharine have displayed. Taylor singing about heart and soul and you believe it! Damn, he’s good! That was putting it all out there on the table and saying, “What?!” That was awesome. Randy’s got a new name for him. It’s “Have a Good Time Funky Taylor.” I think it’s “American Idol.” Another compliment from Simon! You go, Taylor!

Quick Replays
Elliott’s okay. Again, he’s okay. Take three: he’s okay. Funny that they go from Elliott believing to Katharine believing. I believe Katharine more. Katharine’s doing good. Valerie hates those high notes, but oh well. Not great, but not as bad as Elliott. Taylor is awesome, awesome, and AWESOME! That was Taylor’s show the whole way. If he’s not the next American Idol, then America’s got it all wrong.

Taylor, Katharine, then Elliott. See you in Richmond, Elliott.

I finally got everything working again late last night. Now if I can just get another hard drive bay so that I can install my 200 GB internal hard drive upgrade, I’ll be set!

Valerie and I got a new computer recently and I spent quite a few hours installing all the software that we had on the old computer. It seems that the new computer didn’t like me installing a different version of McAfee VirusScan and all kinds of weird things happened: I couldn’t use Windows’ search functionality, nor System Restore. I also kept getting weird error messages every once in a while.

After trying to salvage everything for about 2-3 hours this morning, I declared the new computer “Screwed Up” and did a complete restore back to how it was shipped to me. Now I’ve spent another 3-4 hours reinstalling all the software I had already installed the first time. Except, of course, the McAfee VirusScan.

Only a few more hours to go and our computer will be back…

It’s Elvis week! Time for the singers to crash and burn! At least I hope one of them does to make voting in our office pool easier. Valerie thinks Ryan looks like a soda jerk. I tend to agree with her. On with the singing!

Wow, Priscilla is looking kind of rough. I think she needs to just go ahead and get old. The trying to stay young thing isn’t working well.

Taylor Hicks (Song 1)
You had to know that Taylor would sing “Jailhouse Rock.” Let’s go Taylor! Hell yeah, boy! Whoops, he lost his ear thingys. He’s having a blast! Gotta love Taylor. I can’t believe I agree with Paula and completely disagree with Simon. Damn! Simon told Paula! Sorry, Simon. I gotta disagree. That was anything but karaoke!

Chris Daughtry (Song 1)
I’m going to be interested to hear him sing “Suspicious Minds.” I really don’t care if he wears boxers or briefs or boxer briefs. On with the song! Valerie doesn’t like how he looks and I agree. He looks like a weird stalker dude or something. It’s okay for me, but I’m not feeling it like I do Elvis’ version. I know that’s expecting a lot, but still. Somehow, Simon and I aren’t on the same page tonight.

Elliott Yamin (Song 1)
He’s still learning the lyrics?! Uh oh. I like Elliott better when I just listen to him and don’t watch him. Great voice, but hard on the eyes. Neither Valerie nor I have heard this song before. I like his version of it, but I just can’t watch him and like it. That was pretty good. I’d rank it behind Taylor, but ahead of Chris as this point. I actually got more on the same page with Simon! Weird.

Katharine McPhee (Song 1)
“Hound Dog” and “All Shook Up” combined?! This could set her apart from the boys… in a good way or a bad way. I’m definitely liking the start! I like her taking over the song and not just singing Elvis’ version. Okay, I’m smiling! I really really like this! She picked two great songs and did a great combination of them. If you didn’t know the songs, you’d never have known that it wasn’t all just one song! Valerie says that’s the first time she’s sang that it didn’t hurt her ears. Valerie noticed the dropped lyric. I didn’t. I’ll be interested to see if America did. Okay, I’m back to disagreeing with Simon.

Currently, I’ve got it Taylor, Elliott, Katharine, and Chris. I know I’ve never been a huge fan of Chris’, but out of the four, I thought his was the weakest performance overall.

Taylor Hicks (Song 2)
Taylor’s singing “In the Ghetto.” This, to me, is one of Elvis’ most underappreciated songs. Taylor, you better nail this! C’mon, Taylor! I’m digging this. Like Elvis, Taylor is known for his excitement, but also like Elvis, Taylor has toned it down perfectly. Okay, I’m back to getting shivers from hearing Taylor sing. This is great! I’m loving his take on the song. Overall, that was just plain great. Valerie liked the first song better. I totally agree with Randy! I also agree with Paula! C’mon, Simon, make it 3-for-3! Woohoo! Go, Simon! Go, Taylor! That was a great performance.

Chris Daughtry (Song 2)
Chris singing “A Little Less Conversation?” Noooooo. Can I roll my eyes now? Um, where’s the excitement? He sounds like he’s just reading the lyrics. There’s no passion in it. I look at him and I see that he LOOKS like he’s trying to sing with passion, but I just don’t hear it. Listening to him only, this is highly boring. Highly! Oh, wow, someone pressed his, “scream and get excited” button. Too little, too late, in my honest opinion. “What?!” was Valerie’s reaction to that last note thingy. I didn’t feel that at all. I disagree with Randy. We know you have nothing else to say, Paula. Thanks for admitting it. I agree with Simon completely! It was a completely flat performance. Chris, you don’t have to stay true to Elvis. Valerie has noted that you can see through his shirt. That’s not exactly what I wanted to see.

Elliott Yamin (Song 2)
Elliott singing “Trouble.” Let’s hope he’s not in trouble. This should be interesting. Uh oh! The producers screwed up and gave him strobe lights! Those are only for Chris!!! WOW! You go, Elliott! I’m digging this quite a bit. I like this “attitude” version of Elliott. I also like that it’s a different style than his first song. Elliott could totally pull off an album like this. I’m glad this was his second song because it might be the one that keeps him in the competition! I liked that! I completely agree with Randy! That was definitely Elliott’s best performance of the competition. Whoa! Simon liked it and thinks Elliott deserves to go through to the next round.

Ryan wants to give Paula a dollar after her dancing? Dude, that was rude. Nice of Simon to stick up for Paula. Valerie agrees.

Katharine McPhee (Song 2)
“I Just Can’t Help Falling in Love” should be a good song for Katharine. Just don’t do the UB40 version. Valerie’s wincing at the practice version. I don’t think she’s going to like this. This IS a great song for her. Valerie’s in a bit of pain, but I’m digging it. Valerie thinks she’s overstylizing it. I think maybe a little, but I’m okay with it. I thought that was quite good. Valerie “didn’t believe she’s falling in love with anybody.” Paula thinks Katharine has a lovely voice, but Valerie doesn’t. Looks like Simon and Valerie are on the same page. Valerie’s clapping and saying, “Thank you, Simon!” Personally, I thought she was okay.

Quick Replays
The whole jailhouse and all of America are rocking, Taylor! Taylor was simply amazing. Valerie now thinks his second song was better. Chris looks weird with those glasses. Good thing they’re showing the only good part of Chris’ second song. Elliott took it up a notch this week. It’ll be interesting to see if America responds. They’re picking the good parts of Katharine as well, but it’s working. Valerie doesn’t think so, but I do. Valerie noted that Katharine had to stop and breathe to finish the last note. I hadn’t noticed so she had to rewind and replay… twice. Oh well.

My descending order is Taylor, Elliott, Katharine, and Chris. I think America will put Katharine and Elliott in the bottom 2 with Katharine going. If that happens, it’s totally unfair to Elliott.

Valerie and I have plans to put a garden on the property line between us and our neighbor; the only one that doesn’t have a natural divider. Starting a couple of months ago, we’ve consulted with a garden fanatic co-worker and have bought most of our supplies. We finished off buying the supplies (mulch) on Friday and I was ready to till the garden to get started on Saturday.

I rented a tiller from Ace Hardware and went to work late in the morning on Saturday. About 3 hours after I started, I realized I was getting nowhere. I had “tilled” about a 6 foot by 6 foot square of land and it was only about an inch deep. I decided to read up on tilling online and, upon doing so, found out I was using the wrong kind of tiller. It seems a front tine tiller doesn’t do so well with hard, compacted earth (You garden enthusiasts can stop laughing now). Now I’m stuck finding someone who has a rear tine tiller to come and do the tilling for me because I’m not going to spend the $500-600 to buy a rear tine tiller and they don’t seem to be readily available to rent.

Here’s hoping I can get my garden started before August.

Thankfully, the VERY scattered rain avoided us tonight and I managed to finish trimming the jungle. I only got another two bags out of what was left and the lawn looks more like a lawn again.

I’m done!… for 4 or 5 days until it’s tall enough to cut again.