next steps

1.  Saturday (after work in the morning) and Sunday: chipping all the branches from the trees we tore down last weekend and mulching all of the yard debris created in the past couple months.  Cost of renting the chipper: ~$165

2.  Monday afternoon - borrow Fred's truck to pick up some goat manure from West Jordan.  Then mix with the new mulch to create a huge compost pile.  This should take roughly a month or two to decompose.  

3.  I have two weekdays off in October - the 16th and 17th - for Joel's and my birthday weekend.  My plan is to rent a bobcat and a dump trailer and accomplish the following tasks on the evening of the 15th and the 16th (I've got the timing carefully planned out so I'll only have to rent the bobcat and trailer for one day each):

1. demolish the driveway from the front corner of the house back.
2. level off the parkstrip out front in preparation for new grass planting.
3. dig up grass in backyard in accordance with new design.
4. pick up more manure from the goat farm and mix into raised beds to let sit over the winter.

Renting bobcat and trailer for one day: $360.  

Dumping fees: $100 (estimate)

Goat poo: free (woo-hoo!)