Tag: Kevin

2025 · Christmas

The First Christmas Present 🐘

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🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲🎄🌲

The Tree Wooden Elephants

Kevin and I met in a club 25 years ago. He was with a couple of friends, who were friends with my friends. After a couple of drinks, we got into a conversation. When I was ready to go home, he gave me a ride to my apartment. Since he knew where I worked, he had shown up the next day. Usually, I don’t give out my phone number unless someone asks for it or I ask for theirs. But when Kevin was standing in front of me, I said, “Dude, I forgot to give you my number last night. If you want to hang out, give me a call. Maybe we can do something for Christmas together.” Kevin agreed, folded the note, and left. The same night, he called me. And we were talking over a beer in a bar.

The next day was Christmas Eve. I was on vacation leave for the remaining days of the year. Months ago, a friend of mine and I planned a small Christmas dinner for the night before Christmas. I asked her if it was okay if I brought a friend over. She said: “Well, it’s Christmas. Nobody should celebrate this special holiday alone.” Kevin picked me up from home. When I sat in the car and we talked a little, he opened the glove box and handed me a small present. I shook it to hear what might be in there. Kevin screamed: “NOOOOOOOOOOO!” Later on, I found out why he did that. Well, the little elephant lost part of its trunk when I shook the little box. Even when the elephant doesn’t look perfect anymore. But it is a story worth talking about. It was very sweet of him since we had known each other for a couple of days. It was the first gift I got from Kevin. I still treasure these three wooden elephants to this very day.

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2025 · Travel Tuesday

A Boat Ride From Würzburg To The Veitshöchheim Court Garden, Lower Franconia, Germany 2001

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The Veitshöchheim Palace is situated on the grounds of one of the most important Rococo gardens in Germany. Until 1802, it was the Summer residence of the Prince-Bishop ofWürzburg. The summer residence was built on the site of a hunting lodge under Prince-Bishop Peter Philipp von Dernbach from 1680 to 1682 and was enlarged from 1749 to 1753 by Balthasar Neumann, who also redesigned the roof. The ceiling stucco work by Antonio Bossi also dates from this time, and the staircase sculptures were completed by Johann Peter Wagner in 1780. The castle has been owned by the Bavarian Crown since 1814 and was also used as a summer palace by the royal family in the 19th century.

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After the 4th of July, Kevin and I had a few vacation days. Since the weather was so nice, we decided to do something outdoors. So, we went to the Main River to take a boat ride from Wurzburg to Veithoechheim, approximately 5 miles (8 km) down the river.

When we arrived in Veithshöchheim, I checked the boat schedule before we walked over to the Court Garden. Kevin and I were strolling around in the gardens until we arrived at the Grotto with Belvedere, where the bottom part has animal sculptures, which are made of shells and snail houses. I was always fascinated with the grotto when I was a child visiting the Court Garden. The gardens have a lot of historical sculptures of astronomical figures, poets, and many more.

When it was time to leave, Kevin and I went to the ice cream parlor before we made our way down to the boat again. On the boat ride back to Würzburg, we had a nice view of the vineyards am Stein. This Franconian wine from these vineyards is famous all over Germany and Europe.


2025 · Travel Tuesday

The Old Town In Munich, Germany 2001

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In January 2001, I dragged Kevin to Munich with me. Since he was stationed in Germany, I wanted to make sure that the boy did some sightseeing before he went back to the US. At that time, we had been together less than a month and didn’t know we would get married 15 months later. It was cold. And we both froze our tailbones off. But we still had a lot of fun.

First, we went to the Frauenkirche, Munich’s Cathedral. Kevin was fascinated by how big this church is in real life. He also enjoyed looking at the stained glass window. Each of them was telling stories through pictures. At the Marienplatz, we saw the Old and the New Town Halls of Munich. https://under-the-harvest-moon.com/2025/10/21/the-old-town-in-munich-germany

The fun part was climbing the 306 stairs of the 298,5 feet (91 meters) tall “Alter Peter’s” clock tower. At 183,7 feet (56 meters) is a platform, where Munich’s old town can be viewed 360°. My knees were almost buckling due to the height. But this didn’t stop me from shooting photos across the roofs of Munich’s old town and Viktualienmarkt. The Alps can be seen from that point as well. (Unfortunately, I can’t find them anymore. I hope they are somewhere deep in a box and have not been tossed away during one of the moves in the last 20+ years.)

2025 · My Texas Garden Journal

A New Fence Pole & An Old Dismantled Shed ~ 2013

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One of our fence poles didn’t have a cap to cover it. When it rained, the pole collected water. Over time, the metal started to rust through and didn’t hold up the fence. It also didn’t help that Ranger always peed on it. So, one Saturday afternoon, Kevin got the materials to fix the fence. He dug the concrete block up, which was huge. It took us both to lift it out of the ground. Once the new pole was in place, Kevin poured the concrete to keep the pole in place.

While the concrete set, Kevin dismantled the old rusty shed that was here before we moved into the house. All it did was attract rats. We had to get rid of it sooner or later. We had that extra space and enough room to trim the trumpet vines. In the meantime, Katelynn and Sara collected the rest of the twigs from the Mimosa, which was cut down three days prior. Our cats made sure that we all did our chores.

2025 · National Day Calendar

Kindness To Animals Day 2025

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Pets, particularly dogs and cats, have been scientifically proven to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, alleviate loneliness, and promote exercise and playfulness. Caring for an animal can help children become more secure and active as they age. Pets can also be a valuable source of companionship for the elderly. But, it doesn’t just end with pets. Being kind to animals is a great way to get connected with them on a deeper level out of respect and understanding. Being kind to animals is good for you, those around you, and the animals themselves.

In the Philippines, Carlos Polestico Garcia, a lawyer by profession, entered politics when he was elected to the House of Representatives to represent the third district of Bohol. He later became the eighth President of the Philippines. He was known for being a teacher, poet, orator, lawyer, and political economist who was passionate about animals and wildlife. So much so that on September 30, 1958, in the City of Manila, Garcia issued Proclamation No. 537 declaring the fourth day of October each year as Kindness to Animals Day.

The proclamation emphasized the importance of instilling the virtues of kindness, justice, and mercy in all living creatures and condemned all forms of cruelty to both men and animals. Garcia called upon all citizens and residents of the Philippines, government officials and employees, public and private schools, churches, and civic organizations, to observe this special day with ‌programs and ceremonies so that all people can get involved to showcase their compassion for animals.

: https://nationaltoday.com/kindness-to-animal-day/

2025 · Throwback Thursday

Kevin’s Yard Project: The Garden Shed ~ 2021 (Part IX, X, XI)

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This Labor Day weather is so beautiful that Kevin used the opportunity to work on his shed a bit more. Kevin ran a little short of shingles this weekend. We’ve got some more, while it was raining yesterday. The shed roof is almost done. Soon, he can begin with the interior shelving. While he works on that, I can caulk and paint the shed. It’s something I can do while he’s at work. Everything looks great so far. It’s not perfect. However, it is sufficient for storage without needing to worry about critters or a storage tent collapsing due to a major storm. It turned out to be a cute building tucked away across the house.

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Except for the doors, Kevin’s part of the project is done.

YEEHAW! The assembling of the shed is DONE! Once it’s caulked and painted, Kevin will finish the framework of the doors. But I want to paint the doors first before that happens. Yeah, the lawnmower and the snowblower are out of the garage. My tubs with the seasonal decorations found some space in the shed, too. Once we are done unpacking all our household goods, we can park two vehicles in the garage. The shed was so needed.

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The garden shed is one of the best investments and is worth every penny we spent on our new property. My seasonal decorations fit perfectly along one side of the shed wall. The camping gear is on the top shelf under the roof. Kevin’s tools can be stored in there. And our lawn/snow equipment fits perfectly on the shed floor. Everything is in its place and looks needed. Therefore, the garage doesn’t look cluttered. We can finally oversee our stuff. And don’t need to look around in every box to find it. It makes life easier, not harder. 

~ THE END ~

(09/06/2021, 09/13/2021, 09/19/2021)

2025 · Throwback Thursday

Kevin’s Yard Project: The Garden Shed ~ 2021 (Part VII & VIII)

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All the roof panels are up. The roof’s front is shingled. For the rest, we have to wait until “Fred” passes through New England. If that’s even the case. Currently, meteorologists are making their predictions about the potential path of the tropical storm. Nothing is set in stone.

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Kevin shingled the roof some more. It surprisingly made it through Tropical Depression “Ida”. The shed stayed inside. He also installed the windows and the door. Kevin noticed that the asphalt on our driveway was too high when the door was in place. Therefore, he couldn’t open the left door all the way. He had to cut about an inch and a half off the bottom to make it fit. Once there is a trim on it, the cut will barely be recognizable. Let’s hope he gets the shed done this weekend, latest by next weekend. We need some room back in the garage.

… to be continued …

(08/17/2021 & 09/03/2021)

2025 · Throwback Thursday

Kevin’s Yard Project: The Garden Shed ~ 2021 (Part IV, V, VI)

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Kevin got all four walls up. And he is ready to install the roof soon. It already looks like a building. If I didn’t know better, I’d say. The chipmunks were calculating how many acorns could fit in that shed. They keep checking it out when we are “not looking”. I wouldn’t be surprised to find a whole family in there when Winter is over and Spring arrives next year.

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With some help from our next-door neighbor, Kevin got more work done on the shed. Now, the roof sidings, the roof, and the vent frames are up. Because of the heat wave and the night breaking in sooner, Kevin couldn’t get as much done as he wanted to finish this week. But he installed more framework and got the lawn mowed before the relieving rain and the cooler front came in this afternoon. We are supposed to get temperatures in the upper 50s (about 14 – 15℃) tonight. It’s time to air out the house and eliminate this mugginess.

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Since it was much cooler, Kevin installed almost all the roof panels and some of the waterproof shields nailed to the roof. He could also put some of the pieces in the shed, so Katelynn can park on the driveway again. Now that the shed starts to look more like a building, I can’t wait to see it finished. I have that feeling, it might be constructed before the original arrival date. The shed is supposed to be delivered by the end of August. Yeah, I think Kevin gets it done before that.

… to be continued …

(08/09/2021, 08/14/2021, 08/15/2021)

2025 · My Texas Garden Journal

The Greenhouse In Texas ~ 2013 (1)

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🥦🌽🥕🍅🥦🌽🥕🍅🥦🌽🥕🍅🥦🌽🥕🍅🥦🌽🥕🍅🥦🌽🥕🍅🥦🌽🥕🍅🥦🌽🥕🍅🥦🌽🥕🍅

My greenhouse arrived toward the end of February 2013. It was a Thursday. And on the following weekend, I began to build the greenhouse kit. To my dismay, I noticed two frame pieces were broken. I had to call the company the following Monday and wait for the pieces to arrive. UGH! That sucked.

In the meantime, Kevin fixed the chain-link fence and gate poles for the garden space. It’s an area to prevent the dogs from pooping in our garden. Katelynn and I cut a bush down and pulled its roots out as well as we could. Once she found a worm, she was too busy playing with it, so she was not much help to me dig roots out of the ground.

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2025 · Throwback Thursday

Kevin’s Yard Project: The Garden Shed ~ 2021 (Part I, II, III)

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Our garden shed arrived yesterday, one month earlier than we originally anticipated. It is supposed to arrive at the end of August. So, the plans for getting the master bathroom done have to wait for now. And since the weather was perfect. Kevin used this weekend to start assembling the shed. He made sure he had all the pieces and tools he needed for the building. Yesterday, he worked on the base frame. Today, he leveled and built the floor before he assembled the front entrance frame. After six hours working on the shed, Kevin had enough and needed some rest. His ankle is swollen and on ice, again. But he got something accomplished. It might go slow, but it will go steady. If he works on it for an hour or two every day (weather permitting), he will get it done in no time.

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The last few evenings, Kevin always worked on his project for about an hour. Monday and Tuesday, he could finish the front wall. That took the longest, because of the window and door spaces. So, he needed to make sure, the studs were exactly lined up with the siding. This evening, he worked on the back wall. The frame and the siding were done in no time. Tonight and tomorrow, it is supposed to rain. We have to wait until things have dried up a little bit.

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Two of the shed walls are up.

Kevin finished all the wall frames and installed two of them, today. The other two should be up in no time. Then the tricky part will be the roof frame. He’s getting there. One nail hammered in at the time. As of right now, the half-finished shed reminds me of the back walls of an oversized diorama box, my kids used to bring to school.

… to be continued …

(08/01/2021, 08/04/2021, 08/07/2021)