What was I thinking?
Every spring the beloved husband and I walk around the yard and comment on what we need to do. Usually it’s add some mulch here; move some things around; and pull out straggly dead stuff. At this point the big landscaping projects are done.
In discussion it’s all easy peasy. Zippidy doodah!
We comment on whether we should do it or get a contractor. We get a contractor when the job is big. When it’s small, we do it ourselves. We both like a small amount of outdoor work. Getting dirty and sweaty is a good feeling. Or perhaps it’s the nice shower and cold beer afterward that we really crave. Beer tastes better when you’re hot and tired.
In any case, this year we are converting a few areas that don’t grow things well to stones. Not a lot of area because we aren’t big fans of stoned landscaping. We’ve also outgrown stoned friends but that’s a different post.
The decision for this year is “we can do that!” Truthfully, it’s not a lot of either mulch or stones.
Of course that was before the truck delivered the stuff that is now sitting in the driveway reminding me that I will be working my ass off all week. Why is it that in my head projects sound easier than they are? How do I minimize the back-breaking work of shoveling stones into a wheelbarrow? (We all know that I won’t be doing that part!)
Sweat and cold beer, in that order, will be the order of the week. And right on cue, after months of whining about cold weather, we are expecting it to be hot and humid all week.
The beloved husband is out buying beer and lemonade as we speak. Oh yes, and liniment!
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
I broke my back doing this stuff and no flowers came up, peppers fizzed out at just 2 inches tall, cantaloupe seedlings never took off. I got 4 tomatoes and 1 yellow squash. So much for my attempts at farming.
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I hear ya! My lettuce didn’t germinate this year. Not one seed!
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I am sitting here chuckling. This is precisely the kind of predicament Jay and I get into from time to time…the “we can do that” syndrome! But we, like you, really do like to get our hands dirty and there’s a thrill in seeing something accomplished. This past weekend I hoisted several what seemed to me HUGE bags of soil amendment and mulch to liven up the soil, but it amounted to nothing close to these piles! I hope it’s going well. It is going to be lovely, I’m certain!
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Mulch is gone and half the stone (maybe more) is gone. Still some work to do but we’re on the downhill side.
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It is nice to have a yard though. And then there’s the beer…
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The good news is you can have beer without a yard!
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True. But it tastes better when your bare feet are in the grass.
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Kate those piles of mulch look very familiar! Since CH hurt his back taking down an Oak two years ago we leave the mulching to Travis, our very nice to look at lawn guy. But we still have a beer and give one to Travis… 🙂 We are too old to be moving that much mulch! Our new slate floor gets installed on June the 3rd. You are totally responsible, with your post of your screened porch, for us getting off our butts and getting it done!
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Happy to be of assistance. I bet it will be gorgeous. We did slate at my husband’s old house.
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Hope it is all going well for you. I picked up 30 bags of mulch on Tuesday and will get the other 20 tomorrow. I would love to have bulk mulch delivered but don’t know where I’d put it anymore.My hubs doesn’t assist with mulch or stones – he still has a full-time, demanding job which keeps a roof over our heads and mulch in my garden. Enjoy a beer for me!
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We finished the mulch yesterday and as it always happens we will need to pick up a couple of bags. You beer was delicious!
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Naturally there will be a heat wave. We’re passing on the large piles this year – not that mulch and rocks aren’t needed, it’s the wheel barrow died – good excuse as any!
(Hey does this count as “exercise comes from the outdoors”? You have to be different.)
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Our wheel barrow is alive and thriving, darn!
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Kate, you’re an inspiration… for me to drink beer and watch my wife in the garden instead. ;O)
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Perhaps I need to write a less subtle post for you!
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LOL…oh. ;o.
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You are making me feel awfully guilty! For several weeks now, it has been clear to me that I need to change the seasonal flowers on my front porch but I keep finding excuses to put it off. Okay, I managed to muster sufficient energy to throw away the pansies and the verbena and empty the flower pots. The next step is to go out and buy some summer flowers – and then re-pot them. That’s the hard part and especially as the temperatures are now spiralling upwards.
Oh, I get tired and sweaty just thinking about it…
Perhaps I should just jump directly to the beer and the lemonade 😉
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Starting with beer or high-test lemonade may kick start your project! Good luck!
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Blahahaha! I am stocking up on beer and lemonade too (inspired by this post) since I have to plant two basil plants and one parsley. Seems like a herculean task and I know I will be hot and sweaty and ready for that shower and libations. 🙂
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Three plants? Easy peasy!
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I admire your ambition. I’ll be doing good this year if I get a couple of flower pots filled.
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I used to do a lot of flower pots — front door, back door — lots! When I was working it would take a half hour to water everything every day. Now I just do 2 at the front door and one on the side. At least you won’t need a wheelbarrow for your project.
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Usually about halfway through transplanting or weeding, I’m thinking, “What was I thinking?!”
Today, as I washed the dog 4 times after he killed a skunk, I also thought: “What was I thinking when I decided to venture beyond cats?”
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Sometimes when my cat gets a poop tangled in her back end fur I wonder why I didn’t just get a goldfish.
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Oh, wow! That pile of mulch reminds me of that old joke about the little girl, when faced with a mound of manure, started to dig. When asked why, she replied, “With all this s*#t piled up, I figure there must be a pony in there.” Hopefully your mound doesn’t include a pony.
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If there’s a pony in there, we’re in big trouble!
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You are so right about the beer tasting better when you’re hot and sweaty…… 🙂
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Yes, most of the mulch is gone and we are meeting some friends for a brew. The beloved husband already snuck one though. It’s truly hot.
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Be careful of that thumb, Kate! Cheers!
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I keep saying that treating it normal is good for it. Sometimes it pings at night but mostly good. Maybe I should soak it in beer!
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Just make sure you drink one while you soak. Doctor’s orders!
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You don’t have to twist my arm!
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I didn’t think I would. 🙂
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Good luck and I’d also add long, hot bath to the list for after the sweat, during the cold beer, and before the liniment – worked a treat when I was hauling railroad sleepers and rocks. Ahhh, the good old days… now simply lugging my hand-bag all day can prove an exercise in strength! 😦
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A hose off or jump in the pond is looking good.
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I hope you gain SATISFACTION from your labors!
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Ultimately I will. However, I always whine on the journey.
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Happy mulching and stoning this week, Kate! I am waiting for my delivery of mulch to be dumped in my driveway. And we need to put some stones down in my boyfriend’s yard where a stream makes the ground erode. I actually asked him if we could use a sledge hammer to break down all the rocks in his yard and woods to use. Thankfully, he said NO! I always opt to do it myself but then am surprised at how hard the work is! Glad you’re stocking up on beer, lemonade and liniment.
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I’ll be glad when it’s done. Last year my husband had to terrace and stone a gully between our yard and the neighbor. He had to nail screening on top because it washed out the previous year. That was a big job but it worked. No washout this past winter.
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That sounds like a big job but glad it worked out.
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Love this….the liniment line. The beloved husband is out buying beer and lemonade as we speak. Oh yes, and liniment!
I’m so into reading about your yard. The new furniture that’s coming, the pond…frogs…you out there in a sunhat. Me in my little abode with only one rather pale looking philodendron that’s supposed to be a cheery green. I can live through your algae. 🙂
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We enjoyed the yard yesterday. We sat in the screened porch and just enjoyed it. The weather was perfect. You have all of Central Park to enjoy and you don’t have to mulch it! I don’t do well with house plants. I have 2 pothos which is the only thing I can keep alive inside.
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Another great word…mulch.
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🙂
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May I suggest (from lots of experience) that jobs of that nature need a minor schedule adjustment. Instead of sweat and cold beer, I have found that (for major muscle work), the secret is cold beer, cold beer, sweat, cold beer, retire until tomorrow and then repeat. The problem you must overcome is the inevitable fluid loss through sweating…. hence a couple of beers up front.
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Too much beer upfront and I’ll be all giggly and won’t get too much done. There is the fluid loss issue though. We will only work a couple of hours a day (we are old!).
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