One Step Closer.

This is my "trip" knitting. It's what I do when I'm in a setting to kill time but can't lose myself in a book. I knitted on it yesterday when Ian drove us to Carson City to sign our retirement papers. I wrote the biggest check I have ever written in my life. I had to pay back the six years I worked for the State. I withdrew my retirement upon severance - short sighted of me. It took two lines to get all the figures in. They took my check, our signatures are notarized and we are officially retired as of June 22nd. Our last days at work are sooner than that even.
This morning was yard work, in between loads of laundry. One of the things I look forward to it not having to do all the laundry in one day, because it does take a whole day. We have planted shrubs in lieu of lawn. Eddie found a bed in the midst of these shrubs and is feeling a little guilty, as you can see.

The Rocky Mountain Penstamon, on both sides of Eddie, has volunteered more than is welcome. I pulled up five tubs for a co-workers and a bag for a neighbor and there's so much more to go - for another day.
Ian called to me to come see what he had just taken out of the garage. Using a lawn rake, he relocated this 2' gopher snake to the bank above our garage. I've gotten over my hysteria of snakes. They are beneficial to our rodent problem, and truth be told, I'm a heck of lot more scared of chickens. There. I've said it.
I was reading on the front porch this afternoon when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. Our friend, the gopher snake had returned. Ian once again relocated him, albeit with much angry hissing. The snake, not Ian.
And then a third time, this poor snake came back. Ian asked me if I wanted him to move him and I said no - let's just put the dogs in the house. I followed him - I like to know where they go. It's an "just in case" thing for me. He laboriously worked his way around our house until he found the woodpile, for which he made a bee line.

We realize now that when Ian was stacking wood this morning, he startled our little mouse eater out of the woodpile and through the open garage door. I spent my whole day doing laundry. He spend his whole day trying to get home.