a view of the Marsh ...: Home

...the Lansing Give Camp will be working through the weekend creating cool stuff for charity. If you haven't done a Give Camp before - you should. If you have... please continue to help out.

Saturday April 10th

...the Kalamazoo X is returning to downtown Kalamazoo. Get your X on...

May

...to the south in the land of the Checkered Flag Indy Tech Fest returns for a great 3rd year!

July

...the Michigan Give Camp - Ann Arbor is back for the 3rd year. I've participated in both years and expect to be there for this exceptional charity support effort.

More...

Bookmark Community Megaphone to keep up on events happening in the development community.

It's great to network, it's great to learn, it's great to participate! See you out there...

Posted: 3/21/2010 3:35:35 PM.
Community

Spring Arrives - Back to Winter

One of the things about Spring time in Michigan is that we can go from 60 degree days to Winter Blizzard in the space of 24 hours - once I remember it was about 8 hours. The daffodils are above ground and about ready to break into a showy display. Crocus have been blooming since the last snow finally melted - well mostly melted, cause there are still some piles out there slowly dripping away.

We are waiting on a quick Spring snowstorm - which is now moving through points southwest of here. Could this be it? Hard to say... as the usual signal that winter is done, is an Ice Storm. Essentially Mother Nature's way to knock the weak branches out of trees - and sometimes whole trees. Call it "spring cleaning"...

For me - it will be time to replace our back entryway deck. It has seen it's better days and this winter has done it in. Still OK to walk on - but it has gotten really soft and from a quick inventory underneath - the metal fasteners are rusty and very weakened. This means an opportunity for a trip to Menards for planning and then to prep for a long weekend of tear off and renewal. I will have to keep a picture log as that process occurs. Destruction and Construction is interesting.

Ziva is coming up on 5 months old and likes to chase things - we have one of those tennis ball throwing sticks and she busts into great runs out and back. The Frisbee worked well in the snow, because the snow would hold it up, enabling her to grab it. But on dirt/grass - she usually ends up getting frustrated trying to pick it up. We'll post pics next month once Spring is in full force with blooming trees, bushes, and flowers.

In the garden? This is year 8 since the last major rejuvenation of the veggie garden. It is overdue for some changes - so part of the Menards trip will be to scope out new border materials for my raised beds. I've done wood in the past - always untreated and get about 5-6 years out of them. Sure, treated would go much longer - but I'm not confident in the claims it is safe. I eat the veggies grown and if they are wrong - it probably won't show up until many years down the road... and then what do you do? I am considering 2 other products to line the beds - concrete blocks or new "fake plastic timbers" (recycled products - like deck materials). Each should last much longer. Lot's of changes and many weekends of labor coming up.

Enjoy your Spring... 'er Winter Blast

Posted: 3/20/2010 10:51:37 AM.
The Marsh