Who Chopped Down the Cherry Tree?

We did. A year after we moved into this house, we planted a cherry tree in the backyard. Within a few years, it was bearing fruit and the garden was lush. When Menachem started working at camp, our garden went downhill. Either the cherries had some fungus or the squirrels got them first. We got to pick very little fruit. Then a few years ago, the tree itself got sick and started dying. Menachem cut back the sick branches but the tree kept rotting. We decided to cut it down. Yesterday Menachem took reciprocating saw to the tree and other than a 3' high stump, the tree is gone. We're still undecided what to do with the stump. I want to put either birdhouses or planters on it. Menachem wants to cut it shorter and use it as a base for a bench. It will probably just stand there as a sorry looking stump.
Our next task is to take apart the brick planter we made several years ago. The bricks have disintegrated. The question is what to do with the bricks and residue. I think we'll smash them and use them as a crushed brick surfacing for the walkway between our house and our neighbours'.
Also, our grass is awful and we have to decide whether to rototill the lawn and start over or just reseed the bad spots.
So we'll be doing prep work and major cleanup until the Victoria Day weekend when we may plant some annuals.

Shaving Cream Marbling on Fabric

I have heard about this for ages and wanted to try it out. And since I am showing the technique at my next FibreArts Toronto meeting which I am hosting, I figured I should try it out in advance. Devora came over on Friday night (I think it was Friday because with all of the chagim [holidays], I've kind of lost track of time.
Menachem had purchased the shaving cream, I had leftover Procion "H" dyes from the silk painting class I took about 5 years ago, and cotton fabric. So I improvised the rest -- I made the rakes from hairpins clipped onto stiff plastic and tried dripping the dyes, first by shaking from a stick and then by sucking the dye into a straw (taking care not to let the dye reach my mouth).
The results were interesting and proof that I need to get eye droppers because if the colour "blobs" aren't big enough, the resulting marbling is very faint and subdued. Also, the bobby pins didn't make a precise "cut" through the shaving cream so the results weren't crisp enough. I will ask Menachem to make me some rakes. I look forward to the real meeting. It should be fun. And the book about marbling I bought only because it was on sale and really cheap is fantastic. I might even read it in advance of the meeting... No posts of the samples we made because I don't want to discourage anyone.