We have finished the first phase of our patio:

As you can see in the first photo, we still have some bags of gravel and sand left over, and we’ll be using them to expand the patio at some point in the future when we can contemplate the prospect without wanting to reach for a bottle of Advil.

Between the patio and the house, I’ve started a succulent garden and have already planted some interesting sedums, including this one:

On the other side of the back porch, the old fashioned garden is coming along nicely:

Okay, maybe it doesn’t look like much in the photo, but there is a lot going on in there, I promise.  I’ve added a rose (on the left), irises from my grandmother’s garden (far left), and various perennials in recens weeks.  On the far right, the bee balm is going gangbusters.  The gnome by the porch is a recent gift and will eventually be somewhat hidden by the lilac just to the left.

In other news, we had our first big party last weekend — Dos de Mayo festivities for my 40th birthday.  We had 60 people here and, while things were a bit snug, we had enough space for everyone.  Adults tended to congregate in the kitchen, living room, and man cave.  The children (around 20) were mostly either upstairs in the toy room and secret attic or were outside playing a no-holds-barred game of soccer that more accurately resembled a mostly female version of Australian Rules Football.

Coming up next on this blog:  I’m working on a post about the kitchen garden, which is nearing capacity already.