Big improvements! First we got the first layer of stucco applied and then all the lights and ceiling fans went in!  Do you know how stucco is made?

Well, I didn’t until I saw the men applying a special mix of concrete, sand, and who knows what else to the outside of our house.

Then they slap this mixture onto every surface of the house. This is only the first layer. After this dries and cures they’ll come back to add the second coat with the color in it. We have chosen a terra cotta color for the outside of our house. Can’t wait to see it! And speaking of color…

the wildflowers are at their best up there right now! I cannot get over how much of a difference six inches of rain can make!

We have millions of these yellow flowers plus native Lupines, and Indian Paintbrush!

And this mystery flower is a lovely purple, my favorite! Thanks to my botanist friend Jan we now know this is the Showy Four O’Clock, (Mirabilis multiflora). It only blooms in the late afternoon and then all night. I’ll try to get a better photo of the flowers in bloom soon.

In the meantime, here is a great photo of it!   Isn’t it amazingly PURPLE?

In the disturbed land around our new home we already have hundreds of volunteers. Lots of sunflowers that will bloom a bit later, etc.

Inside we have most of the tiling done…

Then it’s time to finish the kitchen and baths, and we FINALLY have a move-in date!

The end of July we are out of our rental and into a whole new world up in the foothills. I’m already fantasizing where everything will go in each room.

Now comes the FUN part!

Click on photos for full-size views, and follow us on TWITTER!