I give this one 5 stars!

The Final Summit: A Quest to Find the One Principle That Will Save Humanity by Andy Andrews



Never having read one of the author’s works, I began this one with a hesitant and preconceived expectation this would be an agonizingly dry chore. Little did I know that by the end of the first paragraph, page 1, the author would have my rapt attention for the duration of the main character’s quest to identify the one universal commitment to save humanity from extinction.


Already in what should be his golden years, David Ponder, an accomplished and successful business man, finds himself unable to climb from the deep void left by the death of his lifelong partner; his wife Ellen. While contemplating the unthinkable, he is convinced by divine intervention to join hundreds of history’s greatest leaders tasked with finding the one Decision that will save the world from complete destruction. With the sands of time running out, David and his fellow “travelers” commence a journey to sift through and identify the most essential from a list of powerful principles that have guided the decision-making of great leaders throughout history.


In a short 224 pages, the author’s story instilled in this reader a suspenseful search for that which implemented in real life, would surely change the course of humankind. Andy Andrews packs an intense thought-provoking journey like none other I've read before.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Gittin' there!

Yesterday we ended up with this....


 

...and this. 
 
 

 
 
 
After spending the morning pulling out, cutting up, and bagging blackberry vines, the piles looked like...hey, wait a sec!... 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bonnie wonders aloud, why don't we burn the small brush in our new fire pit...
 

She's such a smartie!  :)

The start of a 4-day weekend...

...and what better way to spend it than starting a veggie garden!  The backyard is a blank slate, and a very overgrown and messy one at that.  So, first order of business is tackling the mound of cuttings Bonnie and I created last weekend. 

Our bounty beds will be situated in this sun-kissed corner.  We're thinking a series of 4X4 beds placed in an "L" shape leaving 2-foot spacings in between, with fruit trees along the back fence.  Still thinking about that keyhole concept.  Oh, the possibilities!

Some other befores, as we embark on our plot improvement projects...

    

   Left to right in the backyard.  Even the border beds are full of grass, weeds, and a few persistent blackberry vines. 

Not sure what was the idea behind this.  For now, we've got several inches of bark dust held in by existing scallop concrete borders in an attempt to keep down the mud.  My plan is to eventually unearth these stones (to be put to good use as garden borders elsewhere), dig out and level the whole area, and put in a paver patio and walkways where the traffic is heaviest.  The new patio will be home to a small sitting or eating area.

         

This little pathway catches a good amount of water during our deluges.  I'm thinking to fill that depression with the lava rock and pavers from the strip out front...another redesign formulating.

Can't wait to see what beauty rises from our little piece of heaven that has been long neglected prior to our arrival.  The bones are good.  Thankfully, the fence is intact and in decent shape.