Setting up the garden toys

Patio area ready for relaxing. Sophia wants to try it out.

Today was for sure one of those outside days where you work and work, and in the end you really feel like something was accomplished. I will show you the results of our day in pictures, but I am feeling the results on how stiff and sore I am. I soaked in the tub for a bit to try to take out some of the kinks, but I am thinking that a trip to the chiropractor will be on my “to do” list on Monday. Of course, I have needed to go there for over a week already, so today wasn’t really the problem. I woke up not having muscles long enough for my bones, so you can figure how that felt. Mostly the work outside made me feel better. It was carrying this computer up the steps to the computer room that made me feel stiff and sore, well sort of.

The day was not as hot as we have been experiencing. I think it was in the 70’s earlier this week. Today was a bit cooler, a sweatshirt day. I did laundry and hung most of it out on the line, which was nice to keep the dryer off, and for me it is good exercise dragging it out and in again.

We did not try to do anything in the main, vegetable garden. James did clean out the little pond which fills with leaves over the fall and winter. The smell is awful when those come out, but they are mostly decayed and just right for the compost heap. Before he could add the leaves, he needed to take about 1/3 of the compost out of the bottom. He asked where I am planning to put the raised area for the carrots this year, and dumped that compost on the spot then covered it with dirt. By the time we go to plant the carrots, it should be super decayed.

Mostly we spent the day cleaning out the flower beds, digging up the crab grass and such. I planted cosmos on the north side of the patio and sunflowers on the west. They will mix in with the hollyhocks and we should have a fairly nice “wall” around us this summer. We have never had such a dry winter before, and this is the earliest we have ever cleaned out all of the plots, and the cleanest we have ever gotten them before they all start sprouting and blooming and such. The main issue this year will be taking the time to water since there has been no rain, and the chances are slim for the rest of the week. We watered everything before we had supper, so it should help for now. Not much else to say, need to get to the message for tomorrow. Enjoy the pictures below.

These begonias were in James’ classroom all winter.

The frogs and the cat are the center of attention. The terracotta colored pots are filled with herbs. The order is basil, parsley, sage, rosemary and chives. Not quite the song, but we can remember the order this way.

The turtle has a new geranium and the ducks are waiting for something to be planted in them. Behind the turtle is the new hummingbird windmill. It didn’t feel breezy, but it was going like crazy.

Here the cat and rabbit sit in front of the new Owl rain gauge.

Strawberry beds are clean and growing.

Fern peony is up as are the tulips that I thought I moved.

I planted poppies here this year. The new walk way needs a bit more grass.

Lily bed is clean and iris bed, too. Iris bed is much smaller this year, yeah!!

Indoor plants under breezeway to harden up before being set out in the sun.

Last but not least, at least one pear tree is showing signs of life.