Big Jobs: Part Two

The grass was so tall I could have had it baled as hay. Heck, it had started blooming and setting seed. The weeds in the "meadow" were also tall and mingled with young pivot hedge bushes, Asian Wintergreen vines and the ever present wild honeysuckle vines. Shady Hollow was a mess.

It was stormy yesterday afternoon, but I set to work between thunder storm threats mowing and trimming. The mowing went fine, and I managed to finish before the first thunder storm came through. Luckily we were on the South side of the storm and only got a sprinkle of rain.

Hubby had talked me into getting a gasoline powered string trimmer. I'd only used electric ones previously, so this was a new experience. The difference in cutting ability between an electric trimmer and this baby is amazing! I'm hooked.

The trimmer we bought has a blade attachment for tough to cut areas like the meadow. It made a world of difference in what I could cut. I finished the meadow just before our second thunder storm threat of the day. This one missed us as well, giving me time to take a much needed shower and hopefully wash away all the poison ivy juice that has deposited itself on my face and arms. (If I was unsuccessful there will soon be a poison ivy post).

At least I have one more "big job" out of the way for the moment. With that done, I can get back to digging and planting seeds.

Be Blessed.

Big Jobs: Tillers and Power Washers

Last weekend I finally got the garden tilled and planted. Oh, sure, there are more things I want to plant (and will), but I got the "big-job" part done. I have gotten to a point where I don't like big jobs. I prefer several smaller jobs. I can easily mark them off the list and feel like I accomplished something. Big jobs seem to go on forever.

Just as I was finishing up my tilling, the tiller (a Honda Harmony) stopped tilling. The engine ran but the tines refused to turn. Hmmm. Hubby and I cleaned them out, oiled, greased, etc. and then tried again. Nope, they still refused to budge. A little more tinkering and hubby pronounced her broke. The gears that turn the tines appear to be stripped.

I hand dug the rest of the garden bed I had been tilling and finished my planting. A quick trip to my handy-dandy search engine uncovered the fact that stripped transmission gears are a common problem with these tillers. Oh Great! My tiller is about 5 years old, but has been used very little, but it's out of warranty.

My next search was for rebuild kits for the transmission. I found some places that sell them for about $90.00. A new tiller will cost around $350 - $400. I'm thinking over the pros and cons of fix vs. buy. I even told Hubby that I might do neither. My garden beds are small and if I apply a very deep layer of mulch and maintain it I might can just plant through the mulch with no tilling or digging at all, or at least very little. He is skeptical. I am not.

My second big job within a week's time was power-washing our deck. My son built this deck two years ago to replace the 30+ years old original deck. The original deck was about to fall down. That would have been a very bad thing, it it a two story high structure.

I finally got around to giving it a good cleaning yesterday. Hubby talked me into getting a 1700 psi electric power washer. He said washing a deck this size would be too much for me to do via the scrub brush method. After looking at the sorry state of the deck (think 2 years under trees on the north side of our cottage),I agreed.

I had never used a power washer in my life. It made the job so much easier than the mop and scrub method would have been. Don't get me wrong, it was still work and took several hours, but it was easier.

Of course, like any project I undertake, there were mishaps and adventures involved. The first hose I tried to use looked OK. But after getting it all attached to the power washer and the water turned on it sprayed a stream of water that would make Old Faithful proud. Hubby reminded me that hoses should be drained before freezing weather. He said that would have prevented the backyard hose from having such an early death.

I then managed to get the long hose out and hooked up. Yay! It worked, no leaks! All right! I began the power washing adventure. I had planned all week to wash the deck on Saturday and nothing was going to stop me: not work, husbands, critters, or wind.

I did mention that our deck faces the north? On power-washing day we were blessed with a stiff breeze from the north with gusts above 25 mph. My mind was made up to wash the deck, and wash it I did. It felt like white water rafting with the wind blowing all that spray back into my face and soaking my cloths. Luckily, I was not cold. Wet I didn't mind, but I don't do cold. The sunshine kept me warm as I peered through mist covered glasses to try and see what I was doing. I figured if hubby pointed out a spot I missed I could blame it on not being able to see.

The only other problem I had was convincing a carpenter bee that cleaning the deck was not going to interfere with her efforts to drill a hole in the deck rail. Pesky bee. We reached an agreement and she flew off until I could finish washing down her neighborhood.

It took almost the entire afternoon to clean off two years worth of grime. The deck is clean and looks good. I was even able to sit out there and enjoy the fruits of my labor for awhile after I finished and changed into dry clothing.

I have been able to mark two of my "big jobs" off the list for awhile. Now the grass needs cut, the meadow needs a visit from the string trimmer, and there is more planting to do. But today is Mother's Day and I'm not doing any big jobs today.

Be Blessed....and Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there.

Good Help

I've mentioned that my garden chores have fallen behind, along with just about everything else around Shady Hollow. I think I need to clone myself. (Scary thought, huh?)

But I did get some wonderful help with the flowering magnolia the other day. My sweet husband decided to help prune out some dead branches. He did a good job too. My love and thanks to him for his help. Once upon a time he did all the pruning on this tree, keeping it down to a manageable size. Over the past few years it has started reaching for the sky and we decided to let her grow.

A Rambling Update on the Garden

The only plants I've started under lights this year (so far) have been tomatoes. They have done well and I'm hardening them off now. There were 15 at last count, so if the dreaded blight doesn't get them first, we should be good to go on 'maters.

Wandering around the gardens this morning I discovered we will really be 'good to go' on 'maters' because I found scores of little volunteers. Some are in one of the flower boxes, others on the top of the compost pile! Well, hmm, that does present a problem. I was planning to use that compost to help with the tomatoes. Oh, well, I guess the garden gods got a jump on me there. Of course I will have to fight the blight, but so-be-it.

I almost tilled the garden last week. Upon seeing the forecast for heavy rain, I decided to wait and I'm glad I did. The storm system that wrecked havoc in Alabama and Mississippi has arrived. If I had plowed the garden would be washing away right now.

It just goes to show that sometimes my tendency to procrastinate works out to the positive.

I also noticed that there are plenty of baby inpatients, sweet annie, and petunias arriving on the scene. that's a good thing since I haven't started seeds yet. Maybe I won't have to and procrastination will pay off again.

The hosta are up and growing like crazy. Even the ones I planted around the oak are doing great. I'd had doubts about them, since I planted them very close to the tree.

A Beautiful Spring

Spring burst upon us here in Western North Carolina with a vengeance over the past two weeks. In an amazing twist, the super cold and snowy winter seems to have invigorated all the plants.

These daffodils have faded now, but I wanted to share them with you...

The forsythia was beautiful and made a golden arch for my pathway steps.

The tulips...

I've never seen so many blooms on the flowering quince:

If the beauty I see around me is any indication, it's going to be a great year for gardening!

Spring Is Springing Out

Spring is definately underway at Shady Hollow. The flowering magnolia put on quite a show last week. I don't remember it having this many blooms, ever.

Writer’s Block, Sick Cats and the Grass Needs Mowed

If you write, you know about the dreaded condition known fondly as "writer's block". Also known as "a dry period" it comes on like a thief in the night, stealing words, ideas and ambition and carting them away.

Sadly, there is no pill, no treatment, no magic formula or other quick fix to the problem. The writer has to work through it or wait it out.

I have a mild case of writer's block. I also have obligations that are taking time away from gardening, daily chores, and just about everything else except going to work each day. It's a deadly combination for this and my other blogs. I've been waiting it out, now I'm trying to work through it.

One can only do so much with a houseful of sick or nearly sick cats, a workplace needing all the overtime you can give them, a husband fed up with the chaos, and spring chores needing done, topped off by a slight case of depression. It's a perfect breeding ground for writer's block.

I've been dealing with sick cats for months now and a fresh wave of sick cat problems has surfaced this week. I have to pick Lisa up from the vet later this morning and get advice on caring for several who have developed head colds/cat flu. Sometimes I think the cottage has turned into a cat hospital.

The warm weather has sent our grass on a growing binge that would make a fertilizer company proud. I have to make a trip for mower gas before I can cut it and I saw on the way home last night that gasoline prices here had jumped a dime a gallon while I was at work. (Glad I gassed up the car earlier in the week.)

I still haven't done our taxes and tax day is looming large on the horizon. Of course the fact I've procrastinated on the taxes again has fueled hubby's ire and put me in the doghouse for another April. Let's see, that's twenty April's and counting. (He still doesn't realize how bad I hate doing taxes and that I will put them off to the last minute for as long as I live.)

Work. Well that is something I could really rant about, but as the boss might read this blog, I won't. I'll just say that with a third of the workforce laid off, now that we have work, they want the remaining few to do it all. The stress is tremendous. We are all tired.

Maybe that is the reason I developed writer's block. Maybe I am tired and overwhelmed. Nope, that can't be it. Maybe it's spring fever…that sounds better at least. Or maybe I'm lazy. Or crazy.

I'm recovering though. I wrote this post! I actually sat here and worked my way through it! It was great to visit with you for awhile. I have to go now though, I've got to call the vet, go pick up Lisa, feed, water and doctor the other kitties, check the gardens for what's new this morning, and well, you know….take care of life.

Be Blessed.