My homecoming was marred by very little, namely the Missing Baggage- since recovered. I must say, British Airways treated me royally start to finish. With the bag, they owned up to the problem immediately and offered resolution. The bag arrived yesterday morning, its contents all present and mostly intact. (Two marble items cracked, but they can be repaired. I can’t complain too much at this point.)

As one might expect, Bayou was positively giddy to see me. She had a rose in hand and insisted on dragging my bags around. When we got home, the first thing I wanted to do was see Sumi. I flipped on the light in the basement to see her at the baby gate, waiting.

I knew immediately she was mad at me. She didn’t do the famous Shiba smile, and she barely wagged her tail. When I came down the stairs, she ran from the gate. I knelt down and held out my hand, and she VERY tentatively sniffed it and let me pet her. Well, then. Note to self: Shibas have a long memory when you leave for almost two months.

When I realized I wasn’t going to get anymore Shiba love, I looked up and gasped. The wall closest to Sumi’s area was no longer a massive pile of crap- our kayaks were neatly stowed on the wall, off the floor. The whole basement suddenly seemed ten times larger.

Bayou grinned at my reaction. “Come on,” she said. “There’s more.”

We walked outside, and I saw a potted Japanese Maple, something I have always wanted for my yard. I also noticed the flower beds against the house had been dug up and had weed blocker on them held down by a lot of rocks. As I was surveying these changes and the flowering fruit trees, I saw Bayou walking away. My eyes naturally tracked her and I was greeted to the biggest shock yet- a terraced garden where a sloppy slope had been. Here it is at the end stage:

I cried, for about the 4th time that day. It was just a huge shock, and I knew it was a lot of work. I was even more impressed with the effort when Bayou told me that every last rock I saw -holding the weedblocker down, forming steps on the side of the terrace, and piled around a tree- had come from the slope.

My back instantly hurt in sympathy.

I also owe a tremendously grateful shout-out to Texass and Teach, who helped with this massive undertaking. I am still a little verklempt about it. To see the whole process start to finish, check out the photos in this set on Flickr.

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