My New Invention

Removing sagebrush from areas of the property is much easier with this device - pickax plus chain. The first link at one end of the chain is pounded onto the pointy end of the pick. By wrapping the chain around the small bushes I can "unscrew" them with much less effort than pulling or digging them out.
Sage is great stuff (aka wormwood), but it puts out aromatic oils that inhibit the growth of just about everything else. The exceptions: juniper and piñon don't seem to be affected.

I'm looking into getting some native grass seed. More landscaping pix coming soon!

Dali, the Surrealist Dog

I'd been thinking that Dali's ears resembled Grommit's,

but now I think it's more her nose...

The house?
Oh yes, I've received the building permit and passed my first inspection! - the plumbing and septic... Below you can see the pipes of the septic system under pressure, ready for the inspector.
Then, thanks to friend Pozzi's truck, I was able to bring in 2 loads of "crusher fines" to go between the dirt and the concrete.
This layer of very coarse gravel-y sand will draw water from the fresh concrete - and it fills in nicely around the plumbing...
A network of string lines assures that we'll have 4" of concrete. Now we're really getting close to pouring time. Next Mark will complete the metal reinforcement - wire mesh and rebar.