Today, I really outdid myself in the carting part of the newest project at Casa de Buxton (also known among the residents as the back yard). I was/am tired of walking through slippery mud to get to the fly-away canes dangling from the pergola and over the fence into the neighbor's yard. I can't understand why the canes need to go over the fence instead of bouncing off the fence and staying down where it's easier to clip them. I DO understand why the neighbors could possibly be upset to take a thorny stem in the face, so clip I do.
When I stopped to select a covering for the mud, I was torn between drain rock and road base – same price BUT was there a difference? Yep, according to the counter guy: road base compacts and doesn't let water to seep through very easily, while drain rock will also stay where I put it BUT water easily seeps right through leaving few if any puddles. To puddle or not to puddle, that was my option. Naturally I chose no puddles as I was trying to keep my feet and shoes dry and reasonably clean. For an 18 ft X 24 inches X 2 inches area, I only needed a ¼ yard. Then came the problem: can't buy a ¼ yard without buying it at the higher bag price (as yes I have a truck, but no! the camper shell does not come off at all) so I carted home 7 bags of approx 70 pound each.
Blessings to Bruce for helping get the bags out of the car – I don't think that Priuses are NOT designated as hauling vehicles, but they do a very good job in a pinch (or when one is too cheap to pay for delivery). The bags with Bruce manning the wheelbarrow ended up on the back yard sidewalk right on the other side of the pergola where the “tonnage” was to go! Tomorrow is another day, Scarlet, er Betsy.
Next day I took 2 hours to unload each bag and using a “free” Costco laundry soap bucket to place the rock between the pergola and the fence. Ugly rock, BUT it does the job very well!
Yesterday, the “next” job was started: a raised bed 8 feet X 3 feet X 24 for the clematis (clematises, clematisi?) that will be planted along the sunny side of the shed out back. I had already purchased 7 bags of a commercial “raised bed” soil thinking that would be enough and 2 bags of red lava finds which are suggested for keeping the raised bed soil from sinking. Bruce and his handy-dandy calculator have already popped my bubble of having enough soil! Duh, Betsy, you need 8+ more bags of soil. The sides of the box are done, but the ends and braces are still trapped in the 2X4's that my “crew” hasn't cut yet! The area has been cleaned and soaked with one dock plant awaiting the shovel for removal.
Just a quick question here: why is it also the hottest day when I decide to get the physical work done? I'm pooped as I write this and too tired to cook let alone eat! Hoping to have a cooler day tomorrow, I WILL be out there again tomorrow!