Hopefully the rest of our fence posts will be in the ground by the end of the day. We had 7 left to go; so far today 3 more are in and a couple more holes are in the process of being dug. 4' underground is a lot and requires moving lots of big rocks. I'm glad I get to take care of the children instead of digging!
I've been turning sod (by hand), a little bit most every day, except over the weekend when I took a break. The 128' plot for the vegetables and herbs is 2/3 done. I've also turned a section for my intended flowerbed on the opposite side of the house. It's tedious work, but I enjoy it in a strange, beat-my-body sort of way.
My sod-turning has been slow-going because I don't feel comfortable leaving the kids inside on their own for more than 30 minutes or so at a time, and it's been a little too windy/chilly to bring Aubrey out of doors. Truth be told, though, I am amazed that I can even leave them for that long. Have I ever mentioned how conscientious my biggest boy is? Well, he is. Sure, I return indoors to a bit of a tornado of toys, but I don't ever worry that something will go wrong without him running out to fetch me. I'm so blessed by him.
I should be done turning sod tomorrow. Then I get to plant, which is exciting.
Yesterday Daniel cut down all the tulips, weeded that bed, and planted our summer phlox. They looked great when we first initially started them indoors, but I'm more than a little worried about them now. They're really tiny. Oh well. If they die, I'll just have to figure something else out for the front of the house.
My wild lilies that I transplanted to beneath my bedroom windows 2 summers ago are getting very full. I'm pleasantly surprised, since even weeds weren't growing in that patch of ground. Hopefully they will continue filling that area in so that it's not just bare dirt.
Our yard has come a long way. We haven't done a whole lot to take care of the weed-to-grass ratio, but just like some gardening books said, as we simply take care of the yard, the grass is slowly but surely taking over. Regular mowing is all that's been needed in that regard. Hmm. I think there might be a spiritual lesson there.
Oh my goodness, sounds like lots of work but relaxing to and rewarding-the flowers I mean although I know the fence is also work, rewarding but most likely not relaxing! I've been longing for a fence but we decided this year to get our inside of our house all finished. Lots of contactors, painting ourselves, do it yourself projects, rearranging and we're finally all done!
ReplyDeleteSo, next year we're starting outside. I know NOTHING about this! What do you recommend? Anything I should start prepping now? Can I see picture of your flowers and veggie garden? What veggies are you planting? What flowers do you have? What books did you read!! lol--anything that might help me prepare! Oh, and how did you decide to design your fence? Did you need a building permit? (Some towns are fussy about that and I think mine is one of them!!) Thanks!!
I should hardly imagine you'd feel lame telling people that you don't like sushi. I am the most wussy sushi eater of the whole family! I only like California rolls. It's true. Well, I do like the other super-American rolls like the Holiday roll I made reference to, and even the Philly roll, but I can't even bring myself to like spicy tuna. *sigh.
ReplyDeleteAnyway- happy gardening!
just so everyone knows . . . all seven holes were finally dug . . . and three by hand. so to all future wives who might think this idea of a fence is a good idea . . . you need to know what exactly it requires. below are some guidelines that might prepare/help you.josh's guidelines to all potential wives who like the idea of a fence in their lawn:1. make sure you have access to a lot of male labor. you will need at least 10 men because once they have done a shift (8-10 hours) they won't want to come back. you will need fresh blood to call on for every "section" of the fence.
ReplyDelete2. make sure ALL your equipment works. this may not be the fault of your own, but that of a certain company that rents out the equipment to you. nonetheless, you need to make sure it works for the entire duration of the job.
3. make sure you feed your workers both in quality and quantity. after spending four hours sweating, digging, pulling, scraping, yanking, pushing, jabbing . . . yeah . . . one gets VERY hungry.
4. make sure thanks and complements are often. it is easy to loose focus when digging in what some male minds are "senseless" holes all over the lawn. in order to keep the men feeling both like they're doing some great feat (outside of spending two hours digging one hole that is going to be filled back in) and blessing someone (because it sure it ain't them) . . . showing appreciation throughout the day at different intervals of time is a must!
5. make sure to invite the crew of men (and women if some so dared to venture upon this ungodly task) back to the house for a reunion dinner. this dinner must be of the greatest grander in honor of all the hours of dedication and determination given by the workers. this is a great way to ensure future help.i hope these are helpful to all future . . . ahem . . . insane wives who are even contemplating such a dreadful task. p.s. brietta - i actually had fun . . . it's just too bad that it hurts to type now. . . and move . . . and eat . . . and shower . . . and talk . . . and laugh . . . and cry . . . and sleep for that matter ; )
@antispedimediphin - Are you trying to give me a subtle hint about a party in the future?
ReplyDelete'Cause this wasn't so subtle...
But, sure, who needs an excuse for a party??? We'll do something!