Friday, January 23, 2009

Day 91 house progress: 99 percent finished



Most of the awnings were installed this morning! One of the back awnings will have to wait until our carpenter modifies one window’s top trim. The list of remaining work is really getting whittled down!



Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Day 89 house progress: almost finished



I just couldn’t wait until tomorrow for more perfect lighting: as of 4:15 today, this is our house. Next week, the stucco skirting will be painted a dark earth tone, the new (striped) awnings will have been installed, the back screen door will be hung, and a few other carpentry odds and ends will be finished. We’ll also put new screen stuff in the front screen door, maybe this weekend.


east side


closer east side


back

Friday, January 16, 2009

Day 84 house progress: body color just finished!



Husband Kurt will be working on repairing the original metal porch roof this weekend, including replacing the ragged edge with new stainless steel flashing. Painters’ to-do list starting Monday: paint trim (ivory) and window sash accent color (chartreuse), then doors and screen doors (deep bronze), then skirting. Then we'll figure out any loose ends. The end is in sight!



Thursday, January 15, 2009

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Not much blooming around here now, but the paperwhite narcissus is a nice surprise. See other garden bloggers' blooms from all over the place at Carol's May Dreams Gardens blog.


Paperwhite narcissus


Indigo spires salvia


Lantana


Rosemary



Mexican bush sage


Okay, I took some liberties here.

Monday, January 12, 2009

More day 80 house progress: color begins!



Whoo-hoo! 4 p.m. shady back yard light.



5:45 p.m. shady back yard light

Day 80 house progress



I was a little too optimistic before the holidays thinking I’d see the first stroke of color outside by now. But I know it will eventually get done and get done well, so I’m trying to remain patient. Today there’s only one painter here, but it appears he’s doing THE final prep work. I tried to ask him if he would be painting today, and although my Spanish is truly terrible, I think he said something about “manana” and “mejor”. I’m choosing to interpret “tomorrow” and “better” as “tomorrow, the full crew will be here to begin painting the body of the house your obsessively chosen 75% lavender blue color."

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Yogurt Shop Murders: today's joint hearing, part 5 of 5

Another recently filed defense motion

Motion for expert hearing:

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Yogurt Shop Murders: today's joint hearing, part 4

Another recently filed defense motion

Motion to compel DNA profiles:

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Yogurt Shop Murders: today's joint hearing, part 3

Recently filed defense motions

Motion to compel CODIS:

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Yogurt Shop Murders: today's joint hearing, part 2

Prosecutors agreed to some DNA discovery requests in motions recently filed by Michael Scott’s defense team: if new DNA is discovered and exists in a form able to be uploaded to CODIS (combined DNA index system), prosecutors will do so. So far, none of the newly discovered (Y-STR) DNA exists in the CODIS-compatible form. I'll try to post some of the recently filed defense motions discussed today in a little while.

Before the hearing, members of the Campaign to End the Death Penalty stood outside the justice center holding banners and passing out fliers. Many of them attended the hearing, too. Here's one of their fliers:

Yogurt Shop Murders: today's joint hearing, part 1

Michael Scott’s defense lawyers have filed a motion requesting that Judge Lynch approve two New York lawyers, Robert Romano and Martha Stolley of the NYC branch of the firm Morgan Lewis, as part of their defense team. After some discussion about logistics and an objection by the state, Lynch seemed satisfied that granting the request would not result in any delays. Lynch said he would review the motion, not ruling from the bench, but that he is likely to grant it.

Scott’s lawyer Dexter Gilford explained that because the case is complicated and there are “at least five forensic issues” involved, he and co-lead attorney Carlos Garcia welcomed the pro bono help, adding that having these lawyers’ expertise would likely eliminate the need for them to ask Lynch to approve taxpayer money for experts. Nothing more specific about Romano’s and Stolley’s areas of expertise was revealed because of trial strategy, however, Garcia later said that Romano had been working on this for a year.

Judge Lynch and the prosecutors had not yet had time to review it, but Robert Springsteen’s lawyers recently filed a new writ of Habeas corpus, and similar motions will soon be filed for Scott, too. Lynch said he anticipates hearing evidence re the basis of the writ and would like to set that hearing date ASAP, for now March 4th. Springsteen’s lawyer, Alexandra Gauthier, told Lynch that they have “very important (DNA) results” to turn over to the state and will be able to do so very soon.

Gauthier wants the hearing scheduled sooner than March 4th because, defense lawyers contend, new testing reveals that DNA from at least two unknown males was present in three of the four victims, and no DNA or any physical evidence from Springsteen or Scott (or the other two original defendants, Maurice Pierce and Forrest Wellborn) was ever discovered at the crime scene. And all this means that prosecutors have the wrong guys and that their clients should be released--the DNA results exonerate them--according to the defense teams.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Yogurt Shop Murders: tomorrow's hearing

I plan to attend tomorrow’s joint pretrial hearing for the upcoming retrials of Michael Scott and Robert Springsteen. Read about last week’s new DNA results from the Austin Chronicle’s Jordan Smith here and from the Austin American Statesman’s Claire Osborn here.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

First floret and last carrots

My broccoli is finally producing, well, broccoli. I don’t know the proper term for when a broccoli plant makes florets, but it’s happening now. I was afraid I was just going to have to be grateful for huge leaves, which do at least make for tasty greens. But we’ve had a whole lot of kale lately and need a little break from dark leafy greens.






arugula buddy, I mean pest

I wonder if these last carrots are a little stubby because they were too crowded, but they were delicious anyway.



Another surprise: a crummy nandina was chopped down by the painters (with our blessing), revealing this lovely paint spackle dusted paperwhite narcissus, originally planted more than 19 years ago by a previous occupant.