I just finished working on that landscape project you asked about. Honestly, the soil composition here is more clay-heavy than I expected, so I had to switch up the drainage plan. I ended up adding a French drain along the back slope, and that should handle the runoff. The retaining wall blocks are on order — they should arrive Tuesday. I also picked up some lavender and ornamental grasses that tolerate the local weather pretty well. If you want, I can send you a rough sketch of the layout I’m thinking. Let me know what you think about the path material — I was leaning toward decomposed granite, but flagstone would look cleaner. Either way, I’ll send photos once I get the first phase done. No rush on the decision.

I also checked on the sprinkler timer settings. They were set to run at 4 AM, but the new city ordinance says no watering between sunrise and 10 PM, so I adjusted them to 6 PM instead. That should work fine for the lawn area. I’ll keep monitoring the moisture levels for the first week to make sure coverage is even. The new nozzles are much better than the old ones — no more misting in the wind. Let me know if you want me to document the settings for the Home Assistant integration later.

Anyway, that’s the update for now. I’ll touch base again once the blocks are in place.

We're catching the early train to Elmdale this weekend, and I wanted to double-check our packing list. You mentioned you'd bring the binoculars and the field guides, right? I've got the maps printed and the thermos for hot drinks. I think we should take the gravel path instead of the paved loop — the wildflowers are supposed to be in full bloom. Also, I heard the old gristmill might be open again. We could stop there for photos. Let me know if you want me to reserve a spot at the diner for lunch, because last time the wait was brutal. Oh, and I still owe you for the gas money from the trip last month — I haven't forgotten. I'll bring cash this time. I also found a new playlist that’s perfect for the drive. It’s mostly instrumental, but it has a lot of acoustic guitar. Hope that works for you.

Let me know if you want to leave at 6:30 or 7. If we leave at 7 we'll miss the morning fog, but if we leave at 6:30 we'll get to see the mist over the lake. Either way, bring an extra jacket because the forecast shows it might cool down around noon. I'll text you Friday night to confirm.