Listening to the Voices in My Head

The past few weeks, Sam (the gardener) has been doing a great job taming the wild growth. The past two weeks he's been working in the back yard, on the right side of the house. He did a great job (see below)





Problem is this: because the last person we hired to clear the yard didn't take the debris away, or even bag it for us to dispose of, but left it hidden in piles under trees or shrubs, which allowed the seeds to fall off and it just started the whole thing all over again. So, although Sam has thoroughly weeded, every morning I go outside, and I see grass sprouts at least 2 inches tall. I get the rake out, dig them up and expose their roots, and they do dry out. Later on the same day, I go outside, and I'll be damned if there isn't more of them, same height.

Looking into either burying the area in mulch, or find a pet safe weed killer. The only one I found the weeds need to be in the sun. Not happening back there. The fence casts shadows right to the bricks.

Took my brand new weed trimmer and assaulted the overgrown weeds. Two battery recharges, three rounds and one blade change. Solar lawn lights are visible now and finally getting recharged. My hands and lower arms are sore from the vibrations of the trimmer, but a good friend suggested I get foam lined gloves to help mitigate it.

Ziggy managed to get the side door open, and snuck outside. I get up, look and spot the door opened about 3 inches. first thing that ran through my mind was "Oh $hit." I go outside, look to the left and there she is, standing in the middle of the potted lemongrass. I scooped her up (of course she squalled) and brought her inside.

I sat down, and watched her. She jumped off the sofa and headed to the side door. So, I got up quietly and watched her. She grabbed the lock peg on the bottom of the door, and pulled. Be damned if the door didn't start opening. I shooed her off, and checked the door. We have to make sure the door is fully seated in the door frame from now on, and we are planning to get her a belled collar with a name tag. It's not that we aren't being careful, it's that she is just that intelligent and sneaky. :)

Just got back in from sweeping up a bunch of muddy rotting leaves. They had previously been fermenting and clogging the gutters. I asked Alan if he could clear them. I should have been a bit clearer and said "Clear them into the bucket and empty it elsewere".

He cleaned out all the gutters, but dropped the mess on the walkway and front yard area. I just swept and shoveled the soggy mess into my wheelbarrow and trundled it off to the front yard to perform mulch/fertilizer duty. Hosed off the walkway, as trying to sweep it clean just smeared mud around. Also hosed off the shovel, broom and wheelbarrow, and put them back where I found them (not like the hand truck aka fridge trolley and ladder that was left in the middle of the shed.) *sigh* THAT sort of BS is why the house is a mess.

Also waiting for the tree lopper/removalist to get here for an estimate. Fun fun. :p

Mark did one helluva great job.

Putting the extra limestone blocks to good use, raising my herb pots/planters to an easier to manage level. Also gives a place to sit down outside.



( Ooo ahhh. )

I asked hale and healthy males of the house, several times, to get the leaf vacuum/mulcher busy and clean up the front yard and nothing coming of it. Then I just asked one of them to get it out for me.

When that didn't happen, I signed up for the USS OMYFEWKINGACHINGBACK, and did it myself. I used it on the front area, and no more dried purple flowers from the Jacaranda tree, and gum leaves have been vacuumed, mulched and distributed on the front yard. Smells pretty good, too.

After a well deserved (and needed) shower, I sat down and put some 2011 calendars together. Bengals (as in pedigree cats), Big Cats (Lions and tigers, no bears! But cheetahs!), Aussie Birds, and Exotic Animals.

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