Summer Project Progress

[Float On]

Just want to say, Float, your back yard sounds lovely, really enchanting. Post pictures?

I would say it was enchanting about 10 years ago...before the chickens ate all my pretty flowering plants and the evil vinca vine took over. I may do an album of photos after I feel it's recovered a bit or as I finish a project or two. It is a nice quiet area, very rural. Empty lots to either side (1 acre each) and 40 acres of woods behind me the hillbilly swears he'll never sell out.

[Tybee]

I would say it was enchanting about 10 years ago...before the chickens ate all my pretty flowering plants and the evil vinca vine took over. I may do an album of photos after I feel it's recovered a bit or as I finish a project or two. It is a nice quiet area, very rural. Empty lots to either side (1 acre each) and 40 acres of woods behind me the hillbilly swears he'll never sell out.

It sounds idyllic. I would think it could also be ironically difficult to maintain a naturalized wooded landscape.

[SteveinMN]

Steve, what a list. It sounds exhausting and hot and all very necessary, but uh.

Thanks, Tybee. The "uh" aspect of it is a little intimidating.

Tomorrow's high temperature should be in the mid-70s. Good day to get the compost project sorted. It's also the biggest eyesore so it will be a bigger win.

[Geila]

One of my doggies is sick. My boxer girl's had diarrhea since last week and it hasn't gotten any better. With the vet visits, giving of meds and cleaning up after her, I'm tired. She, of course, has plenty of energy and is running around like usual. This has happened before, when we first got her, and many expensive vet tests have revealed nothing wrong with her. She just has a very sensitive tummy.

I've been trying to stay on track for my projects but only getting about 50% of my goals done each day. I will probably scale back on the goals until she is all better. No sense in me being frustrated and disappointed in addition to tired and worried.

Today I'm going to catch up on some housework and take it a bit easier.

Goals:
3 loads of laundry - washed and put away
quick vacuum
scrubbing/washing of soaked Le Creuset dutch oven - I burned a pot of beans These pots are HEAVY. I kind of regret getting them. Heavy and expensive.
Clean out fridge and freezer, including the produce bins which have gotten dirty and need to be washed out and sanitized
bathe mini poodle if I can muster the energy (he sleeps with me under the covers so bathing him is important for my own sleeping comfort)
afternoon - sort out a section of the hallway closet which is stuffed with a bunch of stuff (will be able to use some of my too-large basket collection for something useful)

If I can stay focused, I think I can get the dirty/sweaty jobs out of the way in a few hours while the temp is still cool.

Maybe I will reward myself with pancakes. I'm trying to get away from food rewards, but I've been craving them since yesterday.

[Geila]

Good day yesterday. The reduced expectations helped. I was able to get everything done including bathing the puppy. And I rewarded myself with an afternoon nap instead of pancakes. I didn't get much done on the hallway closet but I got it started and that got made me eager to finish it. It's the very last thing in the house to be Kondo'd.

Today's goals: (I won't set a time goal, I'll just work until I feel tired or satisfied with progress)
AM - work on one garage wall to organize, clean, and tidy.
PM - work on hallway closet to organize, clean, tidy and purge.

How's everyone doing?

[Float On]

Even though yesterday was hot and muggy I got a bit done.
Cleared out the vinca from #1 goal (will still have to continue digging out roots as they pop up for awhile). I just took it easy and moved to the shade to clean glass orbs when I needed a break from the sun.
I think I'm about ready to start pulling/digging/cussing vinca on the wraparound wall. Capture5.jpg So much vinca!!

Took this next photo close to done on extracting vinca. Found I have one patch of Sedum - and a bucket full of weak iris and lily but everything else is gone. Back behind where the birdbath is leaning was a bed entirely of varieties of coneflowers. Coneflowers are a chicken favorite - all gone. Capture6.jpg. *

Here is a preview of my dry bed. Capture7.jpg I also picked the last of the blackberries and trimmed them some.

* That's KuboCat laying across the rock. She came to us a couple months after DanaCat passed away. Kubo now lets me pet her at feeding time. She keeps her distance otherwise but she does appreciate the dirt bath from me pulling vinca. About where she is setting is where the copperhead was last year that caused me to stop this project and wait a good year to get my nerve up. So far no more copperhead though a good friend did get bit by one last weekend - very painful and because she couldn't identify it for sure (in the dark) they wouldn't give her copperhead anti-venom and she had to wait out the pain.

[Tybee]

So pretty, Float, and thankyou for posting, love the stone, it looks so cooling.

[iris lilies]

Besutifu, Float on!

[Geila]

That's beautiful Float! Thanks for sharing. I love the glass balls on the riverbed. And you're right, that's a lot of vinca!

I must be blind. I don't see the cat.

[TooSweetForMe]

Goal for today - rest! Just got back from Norfolk with my Mom and sister so Mom could get her hearing aids. We have to go back in about a month to make sure everything is working well.