Fins and Stems

Decided to mow the back lawn today… or attempt to deforest my small patch of semi-civilization. Had to put a new line out for my dog since she finished breaking the old one in the 20 minutes it took me to feed Jas this morning. I think Mike got an exceptional lawnmower. It’s cut down numerous bushes and small saplings without dying. We really too rough on it……

Since the rain stopped me from grilling (wet charcoal… I forgot to put it up right) I decided to more thoroughly spice my meats & cut them into proper portions.

I’m going to do more work cleaning up the back yard tomorrow and hope to have the area around the AC unit done by dinnertime. I’ll do a bit of maintenance on the porch tonight and maybe go to the grocery store.

Finally got around to putting the huge limbs that fell in the last windstorm down in the back yard on Saturday.

Sunday, between church and DnD, I finally got around to mowing the lawn. I also decided to max out the usage of my new edger and clean up the edge of the road. One of the neighbors came and said it looks like I’d done a good job while others that drove by gave approving nods.

I can move on to whatever project I want and know I’ve already started off on the right foot.

Pride.

Got the hedges trimmed.

Got some vines torn down in the back yard. Vines are like living anthills around here and safe pathways for them to travel on…

Started moving the pile-o-sticks down to the backyard to decompose. Found out that said pile is partly an anthill… Sigh…

Broke rake. Anger…

Am exhausted. And stinky.

Thankfully not itchy.

Small mercies I guess.

The wheel on the barrow goes round and round……

Didn’t know til Sunday, but Ace has moved over next to Earth Fare. Decided that since I was going to the college Kroger that I might as well check it out. Looks like it’s a slightly smaller interior with better lighting and higher ceilings that allow for a better & bigger selection. The plant selection is also better because they have an easier access to outdoor space.

So essentially, I gave them money rather than Lowes.

Got a real wheelbarrow. The smallest one they had is the largest I could fit in my car & still go grocery shopping. Tomorrow I get to make some progress outside!

I think I should start with trimming the hedges, try mowing the lawn, then see how much energy I have left (and patience since I know Jas will scream at me through most of this).

Sigh…………

So much to do. So little energy…

Started working outside again today… Should’ve eaten more before going out cause I’m wiped now. Not in a sugar drop. Managed to stop before that point but only just.

Husband complained that the plants just outside the front door were attracting mosquitos (not likely since the largest one out there is a citronella – mosquito plant) and he seemed just annoyed at them in general. Started picking up the fallen branches and brush.

Broke ground with my new mattock and started work on the curve next to the driveway. Finally took the leavings down the hill in my wheelbarrow.

And then the wheel fell off my wheelbarrow….

So now I have just a barrow……….

Dang it.

One more thing to get at Lowes… Like they don’t get enough from me. I also need to find my shovels.

When I work outside again I need to trim the hedges and mow the lawn. I need to figure out what to do about the retaining wall. I think I need to re-mortar the top stones and backfill the centers with cement. Maybe plaster it too. Then pressure wash the outside and repaint it. The bed is to be redone with the roses and gladiolas replanted and the now large forsythia. Not sure I want to keep the climbing roses in that area or move them across the driveway and kill the overgrown greenery there with some white fencing perfect for all the climbing roses I want to replant from around the garage.

I think I need some help…

I finally was able to do the planting! I put in the Sedums I saved plus two Summer Blue Larkspur, Blue Danube Stokes Aster, Lamb’s Ear, and Silver Mound Artemisia. I still need one more Artemesia to complete the arrangement how I want it.

Then I can mulch and put down the finishing touches of stones!

To the store!!!

Update:

Got a bit of time after Jas decided she wanted a late afternoon nap and went to Lowes. When I got home I planted the final plant and mulched around everything. I need only add the rocks around everything.

There also is a dead/sleeping/unconscious bee on one of my flowers…… Mulching around a bee is perilous on the nerves…

Got 3 bucketfuls of cement down today. Need to put down the soil tomorrow so the weed barrier can be set and the mailbox reset in fresh concrete. Shouldn’t take too much longer. Need to get the soil down so the concrete doesn’t overheat while drying out… At least I’m to the easier parts…

Sigh…

So I was resarching how to properly put in weed barrier and I confirmed that everyon says it’s dirt-barrier-mulch… and I hadn’t fully cleared out the old dirt… Which means for the last couple of days, I’ve been digging. And digging. And digging…

I hate dirt…

Hopefully tomorrow (today) I’ll get to the concrete. If it doesn’t rain too badly…

Tomorrow I get to start building back up the mailbox flower bed!

Since Jas was taking her late nap and Luv was home & able to watch/listen out for her, I made a quick jaunt out to Lowes for supplies (and spent less than $50!) so I wouldn’t waste most of the day tomorrow on a shopping trip. The main purpose, to get concrete, was on the complete opposite end of the secondary purpose, to get garden soil… Of course…

I’m essentially starting over as far as the plants are concerned. I’ve saved a large and a small sedum and am trying to separate out a speedwell… which isn’t going so well… I got some more perennials to go with the ones I’d already acquired in sort of a blue-grey theme.

I have all the border stones dry fitted for placement and a proper sized application of weed barrier cut and lain. I need to scrape out some excess poor dirt from under the barrier, add better soil, and apply cement tomorrow. Saturday or Sunday I can arrange and plant the perennials then add the mulch and water.

Then pictures!

As Jas takes her naps, I’m able to go out to try and make progress.

I tried to weed the mailbox flower bed but the grass is trying to take over and all the flowers I put in have naturalized and are impossible to weed between… Go perrineals!…

*sigh*

So now I’m taking out everything and saving what I can. I’ve managed to uproot a larger Sedum in one piece. There’s a smaller one I’m going to try and save. Two of the Sedums I put in apparently have died… It’s going to be real hard to separate the blue Speedwell flowers I have from everything else. Sedums are succulents but clump together at the roots. The Speedwells have soft, easily broken leaves and runner-like stems…

Hopefully I’ll be able to save most of one cluster of Speedwells…

I didn’t realize that two of the flowers I planted were annuals. It makes sense why they died over the winter (aside from the fact that this winter was the EXACT reason I will never move north..) and now all I had was some grass where I was expecting red blossoms.

Live and learn! <3 Lol!

I scared off one neighbor that has been letting their dog poo on my lawn just by coming out to get my mail. He suddenly “remembered” that it’s not cool and controlled his rotten rat dog.