Hurrican Irene: Vermont Tragedy Story

 Oh the humanity! Our neighbor said there was a "branch leaning on the house". See, everything's bigger in Vermont!

 Porch, with a view of the branch and not much else.

 Once again, Fabian Earthmoving bailed us out. They made quick work of the "branch", then we cleaned up the mess...

 Will we ever recover from Irene's wrath? Short answer: no, long answer: yes, we will.

 With so many reports of roads out (we took the detours to prove it, sorry, no carnage pictures!) and flood damage all over Vermont, I couldn't help but feel sorry for myself and the loss of our crab apple tree in the backyard. Good night sweet prince!

 I bought this to keep pirates out of the house, but now I'm a little worried they might find this more of a "welcome" mat instead of a "danger" mat.

 The Vermont State Fair in Rutland, Vermont. What'd you expect? Farm animals, fried dough (more on that later), Charlie Daniels, and a dash of Seaside Heights, New Jersey. The teenagers take over after 7pm, guard your change purse (or man purse, Gerry).

 Meetin' Charlie Daniels on his tour bus. There are a couple of cool things about this... A. He has a "Following Jesus" cup. (follow the link; is it "tongue in cheek"? I've read it a few times and I ain't sure). B. There's a cup holder built into the table! Genius! There's a whole world out there that I didn't know existed. He was a very nice man and his bass player likes history. Thanks dude!

 Charlie Daniels a whoopin' and a hollerin'. The dude can play! Guitar and fiddle. Color me impressed!

 They said this wiener was a foot long. I didn't measure it, but it is a big wiener.

 I didn't think I'd ever see this sign north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Good job Republicans!

Rabbit Jail at the Vermont State Fair. More like the State Un-Fair (thanks Simpsons). Let the bunnies go!

 The porch restored! "O! say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave", *wipes tear from eye*

The front yard, branch free. Now, with more sun!

Mow Season

 The first mow of 2011. Note the beer.

 Shelly on a tractor.

 Don't know what they are, but they're all over the place.

 Joe, one of the good people at Fabian Earth Moving, helping us "mod" the tractor. He made a hole for us to put a ball hitch on the back so we could pull a cart. It worked perfect. Thanks Joe!

Now the bathroom is really done. Really. Soon. Maybe.