22 December: spontaneous gravel

Tuesday, 22 December 2020

at home

After several reading days and three excellent gardening books (which I plan to write about soonish), the weather cleared and I went outside in the late morning. Suddenly, I was overcome with the thought that perhaps I could get some gravel. I called Peninsula Landscape Supply and was thrilled to hear that I could get a delivery today.

Because I had not thought to ask for an estimate on delivery time, I found little projects to do outside while I waited for the truck: taking before photos and weeding an area between our garage and Alicia’s driveway. How does it get so weedy so fast?

before

after as much as I had time for

Look at the roots on this Painted Lady runner bean that I pulled out of a big container!

Meanwhile, Allan was assembling some of his boating books for the gift shop at Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum, leaving space for a helpful? supervisor.

Marlene messaged me that she would be dropping off a Christmas present. I had a good driveway visit with her and gave her the bowl of bulbs that I had planted for her (Iris reticulata and some species tulips, tiny narcissi, maybe some crocuses). I got to pet one of three little dogs. The other two remained socially distanced in their push cart.

Blossom, one of three Japanese Chins

Also while waiting, I noticed a neighbor to the east standing up the Christmas tree that had been lying down in the bed of the Cute Red Truck. I think it was in the truck just to be decorative, as it stayed there through Christmas. This called for more truck photos…

….and a Waterlogue….

….and a photo of our own house from the street. This is as much leaving of our property that I have done since coming home from work on December 3rd.

I rejoiced when the gravel arrived at 2:25, giving me two hours to get a start on the project. I had decided to get three yards of quarter minus to make sure I would have enough.

I started with the front path, the project for which I had been unable to get small gravel this past summer because the state road crews were demanding it all for their big chip sealing of the main roads of the peninsula.

Before, looking east:

Looking west, showing the contrast in gravel:

My audience, from the Catio on the northeast corner of the house:

After (I will use my tamper tool on it later):

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It felt like walking on velvet instead of rough poky little rocks. It had taken an hour, giving me another hour before dark. I started wheelbarrowing gravel back to the south of the greenhouse where the compost bins used to be and where I now have the Fish Tote Kitchen Garden.

Before:

The ground was low and uneven between greenhouse and totes.

Fortunately, the green potting soil bin was empty enough to move and I was able to squeeze the little red wheelbarrow through. I had thought I was going to have to bucket the gravel into there.

After:

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before and after of gravel instead of dirt between the totes

I still had this much gravel left.

I planned on a long day of graveling on Wednesday but had an attack of so much anxiety that I lay awake from two to five AM worrying about several gravelly things:

Had I ordered enough? Would there be enough to do Mike’s path, too? Had I ordered too much? Would the good weather hold for the promised two more days before a storm? We had our van parked behind Alicia’s house. I wanted it safely back into the garage, which could not happen till the gravel was moved. Finally at five, I took a Benadryl in sheer desperation and didn’t get started till noon the next day.