Spring Gardening
Today, as I mentioned last night, was a day off school. It was too beautiful a day to pass up. However, no school certainly did not mean no chores! The kids helped me clean up the house a bit before I would allow them outside (and really, I knew that once I got them outside, I'd never get them back in without a fight to do anything.). So, by 10am, we were out the door. The kids quickly darted off to the backyard to play and bicker before settling into a routine of play that allowed for everyone to enjoy themselves. Meanwhile, I headed out front to rake up all the tree droppings from our pines and then tackle a flower bed that I have a love hate relationship with. Why love hate? Well, I love the unknown bush that flowers there in the spring. Such gorgeous, yellow flowers and the scent! Ack! Such a scent. However, that ridiculous ornamental grass that terrorizes the rest of the plot is what sends me into convulsions every summer. So, with shovel in hand, I skimmed off the sod and smoothed out the dirt. I then covered the bed with a growth deterrent and edged with large rocks and filled in with limestone that I skimmed from the driveway (I promise, honey, you won't notice where I took it from!). Here she is!
By this time, the kids were begging for a picnic. So, Ruth took it upon herself to fix everyone-or as she calls them "the kids" lunch. Don't you think it's just hilarious that she refers to Grace and David as "the kids"? I mean, really, she's less than two years older than Grace and less than three years older than David. Just cracks me up. But anyway, back to my story. Ruth fixed the kids lunch. Which they ate Al Fresco. And loved every bite of it. While they were eating, I gathered everything we needed for a little flower planting. After lunch, the girls helped me plant two packets of Morning Glories. We ended up with two packets because the girls wanted pink and purple Morning Glories and David and I wanted blue. After planting those, we put the boxes on my newly stoned flowerless bed (see above photo) until further notice or frost-whichever happens first. (Hint-probably frost...)
At this point, the UPS guy arrived and we took a break to open our package from Aunt Julie in Texas. What a haul! But, that's for another post.
I moved on to the flower bed under the pine tree and the kids returned to the back yard to splash some more in the water that had collected in their sandbox. I believe they were joined by various and sundry forms of wild cats as well as a pesagus (as the kids call it) named Pesagus Peiro. How it came to be named that, I don't know. I was joined by my friend and neighbor, Patti and her kids for an hour or so at this point. I kept weeding, hoping I wasn't being unsociable, but I was on a roll. Patti, the sweet heart that she is, joined me in weeding. How many people can say that they have friends who would weed their flower beds with them? Come on, be honest!!
After that, there was no way I was going to stop, so I moved on to the lilies patch in the side yard. Now, the lilies have always been there. They have just been so infested with weeds and grass that they sort of get overlooked. This past fall, I told Chris to mow over the who tangle. If the lilies died, so be it. I just didn't care anymore. Well, this spring, they began peaking out from behind already growing grass and debris, so I was determined to clean them up a bit. I spent quite a bit of time Saturday and Sunday on the top patch-the bigger one.
I moved down to the smaller patch and got that under control, then decided to join the two patches into one large, kidney shaped patch. A fit of craziness, I believe. If you look to the right of the picture below, you'll see that the clump of lilies is the bottom of the top patch, then there is dead space just waiting for flowers and the bottom patch.
As if that wasn't enough to do, I got a hankering to weed out from under yet another mystery bush. If you really want to know what the bushes are, just ask my Dad. He always remembers what they are called. I never do. I just know not to try and do anything with them and they look just beautiful every spring.
Somewhere in the day, between Patti and her kids leaving and more insane weeding, the kids had a little popsicle treat. After all, it did hit 70* today.
I just had to put this one in of Ruth. She was oblivious to me, but you should have seen how dirty she was! It was great!
And, finally, my three cherubs, scrubbed and shiny, a little sunburned and ready for bed. To my utter disbelief no one complained about going to bed! (Like the shirt, Jules?)
ETA: I've already edited this silly thing three times for mistakes. I'm so tired, I'm not editing it anymore. If you find more mistakes, just overlook them, ok?
By this time, the kids were begging for a picnic. So, Ruth took it upon herself to fix everyone-or as she calls them "the kids" lunch. Don't you think it's just hilarious that she refers to Grace and David as "the kids"? I mean, really, she's less than two years older than Grace and less than three years older than David. Just cracks me up. But anyway, back to my story. Ruth fixed the kids lunch. Which they ate Al Fresco. And loved every bite of it. While they were eating, I gathered everything we needed for a little flower planting. After lunch, the girls helped me plant two packets of Morning Glories. We ended up with two packets because the girls wanted pink and purple Morning Glories and David and I wanted blue. After planting those, we put the boxes on my newly stoned flowerless bed (see above photo) until further notice or frost-whichever happens first. (Hint-probably frost...)
At this point, the UPS guy arrived and we took a break to open our package from Aunt Julie in Texas. What a haul! But, that's for another post.
I moved on to the flower bed under the pine tree and the kids returned to the back yard to splash some more in the water that had collected in their sandbox. I believe they were joined by various and sundry forms of wild cats as well as a pesagus (as the kids call it) named Pesagus Peiro. How it came to be named that, I don't know. I was joined by my friend and neighbor, Patti and her kids for an hour or so at this point. I kept weeding, hoping I wasn't being unsociable, but I was on a roll. Patti, the sweet heart that she is, joined me in weeding. How many people can say that they have friends who would weed their flower beds with them? Come on, be honest!!
After that, there was no way I was going to stop, so I moved on to the lilies patch in the side yard. Now, the lilies have always been there. They have just been so infested with weeds and grass that they sort of get overlooked. This past fall, I told Chris to mow over the who tangle. If the lilies died, so be it. I just didn't care anymore. Well, this spring, they began peaking out from behind already growing grass and debris, so I was determined to clean them up a bit. I spent quite a bit of time Saturday and Sunday on the top patch-the bigger one.
I moved down to the smaller patch and got that under control, then decided to join the two patches into one large, kidney shaped patch. A fit of craziness, I believe. If you look to the right of the picture below, you'll see that the clump of lilies is the bottom of the top patch, then there is dead space just waiting for flowers and the bottom patch.
As if that wasn't enough to do, I got a hankering to weed out from under yet another mystery bush. If you really want to know what the bushes are, just ask my Dad. He always remembers what they are called. I never do. I just know not to try and do anything with them and they look just beautiful every spring.
Somewhere in the day, between Patti and her kids leaving and more insane weeding, the kids had a little popsicle treat. After all, it did hit 70* today.
I just had to put this one in of Ruth. She was oblivious to me, but you should have seen how dirty she was! It was great!
And, finally, my three cherubs, scrubbed and shiny, a little sunburned and ready for bed. To my utter disbelief
ETA: I've already edited this silly thing three times for mistakes. I'm so tired, I'm not editing it anymore. If you find more mistakes, just overlook them, ok?
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