Everything sublime is as difficult as it is rare. Baruch Spinoza

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Yard Care


What we have been doing the past two days.


Mark finished this flower bed yesterday. It was overgrown with phlox, which he pulled out, leaving just a few. Now I can move some more iris in there and manage the phlox. I got a largish iris bed weeded and also cut all the saplings out of it. This place so wants to be a forest. We have four more flower beds to go, also foundation planting. Whew! 

We had a light overnight rain, just enough to make everything wet. More on the maintenance front, we concurred that cutting saplings out of the fence lines is a hopeless project. Something about the change in our climate has put the growth of these pesky softwoods on overdrive. There is no controlling them. I figure a solid wall of trees is also a barrier and we don't need the hot wire anymore. The elderly beasties aren't looking to go through a fence. In two years a forest has sprouted in the south end of Zing's paddock. They were saplings last year, now they are trees.

It feels good to be working outside again. I have to take breaks and my back finally does give out, but I am doing it. That's what matters, I am out and pulling weeds! I need to finish the Monday washing today. I did a load and then went outside and that was that. Oh, news......Neighbor Bill has fixed my mower! He is going to get a new battery and then I will be riding the home range once more. Yippee. I was pretty sure we were going to need to buy another.


 Isn't she pretty.


17 comments:

Boud said...

You both sound fit and pretty strong. Go you! Around here it's constantly mowing or we'd have new growth forest in no time. I'm constantly pulling saplings out of the ground cover as it is.

Far Side of Fifty said...

You guys are rockin the yard work. I just use round up where I don't want saplings growing up like next to the LP tank!

Sandra said...

Boud, Mark is fit, me...not so much. I am thankful for all the physical work I did for decades. I do still have muscle hiding in there, just not as much. The trees are winning the long fought battle.

Sandra said...

Far Side, we are slowly getting there. Maybe by first frost we will be finished!

Boud said...

Roundup is a proven carcinogenic.

nick said...

Ah, weeding, it never stops, does it? But I'm not going to spray weed killer everywhere as that could harm birds and insects. As for rapid growth, our eucalyptus tree was tiny when we first moved into this house 15 years ago and now it's absolutely enormous. Oh and good to know your mower has been fixed.

Sandra said...

nick, weeding is eternal. I don't think a eucalyptus tree could live here. I bet it's beautiful! Now that my lawn mower is fixed I hope he can figure out what wrong the the lawn tractor that I use for mowing the pastures. Bill may be tiring of me. :)

e said...

She is gorgeous!

Val Ewing said...

I know how you feel! Keeping up with weeds and lawn this year is almost a losing battle. The weeds in the pasture are having a good time. Since it is so rocky and full of gullies there is no mowing.

Love that flower!
Yesterday I cleared some fence lines with a machete. That was work.
I am looking forward to not having to do that one day.

You guys are rocking it!

Pixie said...

I imagine you feel like you have a new lease on life. Wonderful!

Sandra said...

e, yes she is!

Sandra said...

Val, the weeds are on steroids! Yesterday was too wet to do anything so I stayed inside and didn't do anything.

Mark uses a machete, I've never touched one. It's a lot of work. I don't know about rocking it, but we sort of are rolling it!

Sandra said...

Pixie, I kinda do.

Rita said...

With all the rain we have had that is not a surprise to hear you're getting overgrown--lol! Trees do make a good "fence" sometimes. ;) I am so glad to hear you are feeling well enough to be out getting your hands dirty sometimes. Whoohoo! Wonderful to hear. :)

Anvilcloud said...

Mark was really getting into it.

Sandra said...

Rita, we are overgrown and then some! The fence line is still there, but with all the vegetation the hotwire won't work. They don't need it, so we can just let things be.

Sandra said...

AC, the man likes to weed!!