It is so nice to be sitting at my computer, at my desk, at home, connected to the internet! Some people talk about how great it is to take a step back from social media... Not me. I missed it every day we didn't have it. 

But no internet did have its advantages. We've made a lot of progress settling in here. Mostly cleaning (indoors and out), but now we're starting to slow down and enjoy our new place. 

Here are a few pictures. (One day I'll get back to writing about parenting, but for now I'm consumed by the yard - and so are the kids, which means I'm not actually doing all that much parenting)

The first weeded garden bed.  

  <img src="https://yellow-ladybird.micro.blog/uploads/2026/89b4107f69.jpg" alt="">

The other garden beds still look like this. Pretty, but totally out of control. 

  <img src="https://yellow-ladybird.micro.blog/uploads/2026/5e33a1d3cb.jpg" alt="">

Here is a little weeded patch with tomatoes planted by Auntie M.

  <img src="https://yellow-ladybird.micro.blog/uploads/2026/d44485b7d4.jpg" alt="">

And raspberry bushes. The kids spend a good part of their day snacking off the raspberry bushes, especially now that we've figured out they are a wild variety and are ripe when they are deep purple, not bright red. 

  <img src="https://yellow-ladybird.micro.blog/uploads/2026/3ce1e41bd6.jpg" alt="">

This space was thick with dead branches, but an hour with the clippers (I now love clippers and would be happy to clip away all day) and we made a little "house" for the kids. My mom sent us the hammock 10 years ago, and we never had a place to hang it (no yard and/or no trees). Usually I get rid of such unused, random things, but somehow this was overlooked. I think it made its way into the camping box, where it was safe in our hopes of camping again one day.  

  <img src="https://yellow-ladybird.micro.blog/uploads/2026/97859d7be2.jpg" alt="">

The craft porch. Glitter, paint, spilled water, a million tiny pieces of cut up paper... I don't care. They can make whatever kind of mess they want and only half clean it up. During the day I look past the mess at the view, at night I simply close the door. 

  <img src="https://yellow-ladybird.micro.blog/uploads/2026/c4eca9ed52.jpg" alt="">

And the night sky. I can always count on a night sky for calm and perspective. 

  <img src="https://yellow-ladybird.micro.blog/uploads/2026/67346d66b5.jpg" alt="">