August 16, 2014

Hours and Hours of Yard Work

August 16, 2014

My housekeeper was here before 7:30 this morning.  I told her I was going to have a quick breakfast and then go work in the yard.  A little over 3 hours later, I stopped.  The flowerbed I enlarged last night got a redo today.  Overnight I decided that it needed to be deeper than it already was so I added more so that now it is 12 inches deeper than when I started.  This is an L shaped flowerbed running under the windows to my sewing room.  I had only done the short side last night.

The above photo is after I got the first section enlarged this morning.  Next I moved to the area around the large elephant birdbath and weeded and did some trimming on some ivy and some other pot plants.  I also re-potted some ivy that I had pulled up as I was weeding.

I stopped to take some photos of the assorted blooming plants before returning to the second section of the L shaped flowerbed.

I got back to enlarging the flowerbed, this time working on the long side of the L shaped bed, and again added 12 inches to the depth of the bed.  The hibiscus plants were leaning so far over the former border, that it was too hard to mow along the edge of the bed.

Around 11:00 I finished the flowerbed and put all my tools away and then watered the bed very well.  I am pleased with the way it turned out. 

While working in the yard, I did not wear the sound processor.  The audiologist tells me it is ok to wear it when I am getting hot and sweaty, but this morning the sweat was just dripping off my face and head and I didn't think that was the best thing for the sound processor.

It was close to 2:00 before Ron got home and he spent all afternoon working in the yard.  He needed to trim the oak tree and remove some bottle brush plants that have just died of old age I guess.  I went back out about 4:00 and worked for 2 1/2 hours and was hot as a fire cracker.  It was terrible outside this afternoon.  I trimmed some palm trees and weeded around them.  I hauled a little of the clippings to the brush pile but let Ron do most of it.

Off and on during the day, I took breaks and did some reading.  While I was reading the birds were active in the back yard and I enjoyed watching the sparrows at the bird bath and the juvenile Green Jay that kept coming to the feeders and posing for some photos.  The blue Budgie was around all day.

You will notice that the colors are paler on this young Green Jay.  He is also less skittish than the older birds.  he did keep flying into the windows and the house.  I hope is isn't too stupid!

Other than those things, I have done very little today.  I did not leave the house except to work in the yard.  I need to go to the grocery store, but did not get that done.

The young sparrows played at the birdbath all afternoon, taking baths and getting drinks.  They are so much fun to watch.  They are so curious.

It may be hard to get out of bed in the morning!  I think I am going to be sore.