The quiet peacefulness of the ravine has been shattered anew. Yesterday, the construction crews returned to complete the work they had left undone when winter kicked in, late last fall. Although the bridges that were replaced are completely usable and have been throughout the winter months, the finishing work was not completed, so that's what they're doing now.

And when they're done with that, they'll have to the tackle the fallout of the mess they left behind, on the trails. Those deep, tracked ruts impressed into the revealed clay base of the ravine. The soil that lay atop the clay had been disturbed by the weight of the tracked shovels and earth movers, and although they had laid down large pieces of gravel for traction, they had eventually sunk deep into the muck that entered the picture whenever it rained.

Elsewhere, on higher elevations, where the soil dried quickly and there wasn't quite the same quagmire, those large chunks of limestone present a hazard, walking on the trails.

Earlier in the day, because it was a sublimely beautiful day, with a summer's warmth and full blazing sun, my husband decided to return the canopy to our deck, transforming it yet again into an outdoor room for us to enjoy the fresh air in comfort and privacy.

And while he was busy doing that I took out the grooming shears and set about giving Jack and Jill another hair trim. The hair around their faces and their paws grows swiftly askew, so it was past time to make them a little more tidy in appearance. As wickedly twitchy as they tend to be, they do settle down after their initial protests, allowing me the opportunity to make them a little more handsome as a pair of devilish little black pups approaching seven months.