Tuesday, May 06, 2008

CED 2008 ~ What A Week!

Hello! Hello! I'm back.... but probably only for a few moments before I'm off and running once again. Don and I have been ever so busy this past week, it's a miracle that I am still even able to move! We've been in the midst of Spring cleaning, making outside repairs, and planting some areas of our yard. 


One day, last week, we mowed our little acre, trimmed the weeds around the water garden and a burning bush, raked up the last remaining remnants of fall, spread mulch around 3 of the 4 trees in the front of our yard. Then, on another day, we removed and replaced a section of our front fence, dug post holes and set several new posts, replaced a hand rail on the back deck --- all while somehow managing to keep our home clean, cooking our own dinner, letting laundry pile up and get away from us and then, another day was spent cleaning up from the clean up!


Our friend, Jason, showed up sometime during all this, with his dump truck and bobcat and spread a pile of left over rocks from a few years ago when we had previously refilled the driveway. He moved and removed some of the old bricks and large rocks from along the west fence line in the back of the acre and leveled some of the ground out there. In the front yard, yet off to the side of the driveway, there's a huge tree that I'd like to established a planting area around {one day} and the stones had to be moved and leveled out so that we can accomplish that at a later date. We're going to need some fill dirt, concrete blocks, landscaping timbers, and I'll have to decide what exactly I desire to plant there before we can even consider starting on it so that's yet another "someday" project!


After all the remodeling and redecorating that we've accomplished in the past eight years, the landscaping of our yard was put on hold, so we're attempting to rectify some of that. It definitely is dire need of some sprucing up! So, while we made several trips to the hardware store for a variety of odds and ends needed to complete several of the on-going projects, I picked up a couple of  hosta's and a new perrienial bush called a Popcorn Double-File Viburnum. The tag says it's a showy, deciduous shrub with large white flowers that are displayed upon horizontal branches that bloom in summer. In Autumn it contains a red fruit that matures to black and is great for Fall color, now I need to figure out where I desire to put it! Years ago, I had a beautiful perennial bed surrounding a concrete bird bath, until our carpenter friend decided our previous dog and beloved companion, Isis, needed more room to run and he let out some length on her cable. Needless to say, my perennial bed got trampled into oblivion! So, I considering starting another one there. Perhaps there's a chance that digging around there might recover some of my bulbs and if not damaged beyond recognition, I can recover some of them and the money spent. I'm not holding my breathe, but one can dream!


We squeezed in a road trip that included having one night's dinner out, prior to completing a bit of shopping for Mother's day. Of course that was after we were completely frazzled out after having chased after Chaos who somehow managed to escape from us, ran us almost a half a mile, and then caused us to nearly be drowned in a Spring thunderstorm. All in all, I'd have to say it's been an exciting week!


Yesterday, I had Alexxis to keep me company and entertained so 'together' we baked up a batch of sugar cookies, put up the hammock, ran back to the house to grab a quilt and a pillow, a book, and her rabbit. . So much for relaxing in the hammock with a two year old while reading her a story! Alexxis was full of energy and ready to "go-go-go" so we played "rock-a-bye" rabbit for a bit, before taking a long walk through our acre looking at birds, bees, and bugs, plucking a few small flowering branches from a tree, some wild flowers growing in the corner of the back acre. It's so wet there from the passing thunderstorm that we both ended up wet and muddy.


Later in the afternoon, we took a drive to Richard's Garden in New Washington, Ohio. Alexxis napped in her booster seat and seemed to recharge her batteries, so upon arriving her and I toured "The Island" to wear her down enough so I could shop for some plants. Here's some of the sights and sounds that we shared: {photographs taken from Richard's Garden website}

 

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The beautiful glazed flower pot and saucer is one I purchased for Mom Reams for Mother's Day and after I filled it with a variety of the flowers I purchased from our garden trip. I also managed to plant the two hostas and two flats of a  flowering ground cover in the top of the water garden. I should have picked up two more of the ground cover to completely fill in it, but I didn't know that until afterwards. Hopefully, I can find two more flats locally to fill it completely in.

I also purchased 9 plantings of California Sweet Pepper and some Better Boy tomatoes. I put them in pots out on the rear deck since us Ohio gardeners aren't out to the woods yet with frost and freeze warnings. This will enable them to become a bit more established and grow for awhile before I'll be required to look for a location to plant them.

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