Yard Work...

I may be busy...

but not too busy

to make you smile!

Now that I have your attention...

let me share some of the things

I have been tackling this week.

I have been working on the front deck,

the portico porch and the front yard.

I have replaced all of the plants

in the planters.

Good-bye dead plants...

hello green!

The large urn in this photo was

brown plastic, but now it is white

and antiqued and filled with lavender.

A little white paint and antiquing

changed the looks of several items.

See our pitiful lawn?

Just four years ago, Lurch and I

hauled trailers full of beautiful grass

and filled our front lawn square by square.

Looks like I will have to start over.

I can't afford that much grass, but will

lay scattered squares of grass and

hope that it grows quickly!

These round rosemary bushes

add balance to the front

portico entrance.

I hated to disturb the bird nest

in this bird house, but I am relatively

sure that there is a cranky bird

out there somewhere!

We had two eucalyptus trees until

last summer's drought and our absence.

Now we have one eucalyptus tree.

We cut the dead one down this week.

I have pressure washed all the wicker furniture

and wooden rockers and they are all awaiting a nice,

fresh coat of white paint.

Nothing escaped the pressure washer...

not even the gourds.

They will get a nice coat of paint too!

This rosemary plant is awaiting to be

planted in a flowerbed.

Yes, you may have noticed that I

love rosemary! Most of the plants in

my flower beds are aromatic...

rosemary, sage, lavender, eucalyptus.

The weeds and ants have taken over

the flower beds. Sigh.

I will be attacking those soon!

I need another layer of landscaping rocks

around my flower beds. I went to a landscaping

place to order some natural rocks to match the

ones that I already use around my flower beds.

They offered me a "good deal" at $600!

Whatever! It was hard to contain my laughter!

I am a West Texas girl and rocks are our second

biggest crop! :) I refuse to pay that for rocks!

By the way, my checkbook refuses too! Sigh.

So I went to Lowe's and got these manufactured

rocks for 64 cents each. This is my second load.

Yes, I loaded them and will unload them.

I am woman...hear me whine...I mean roar!

I know there is a fountain in there someplace!

I just gotta get in there and fix it up!

It will be cleared and running by the weekend...

I think.

The drought, the freezes and our absence

cost us six Japanese Maples!

We planted them two years ago for

our anniversary!

Replacing them with more Japanese Maples

is a real priority for me.

I am saving my pennies!

My garden muse is looking a little cross-eyed

over the amount of work she needs me

to get accomplished!

She will be surrounded by new, cheap rocks,

rich topsoil and fresh mulch soon!

She wants you to come back and

see her "after" picture!

Gotta get back to work!