Sunday, 23 January 2022
At home
Our mission today was to move Soil Energy via buckets in the van, through the next door easement road to our back lot. Soil Energy is a planting mix that has actually had its name changed to Lawn Starter, but Peninsula Landscape Supply still calls it Soil Energy because that’s the name people know. I think Lawn Starter has a little more manure in it than the previous mixture, based on the smell.
I filled buckets, Allan loaded, then while he drove around the block I would take one wheelbarrow load out through our garden and meet him at the south end about 260 feet away.
When he got to the easement road with the first load, two gear shed trucks were in by the shed.
I felt a sense of doom, would we be unable to deliver our soil today to the back garden? But the owner was very nice and said he and his crew had other things to do today, so we could use the road without inconveniencing them, before they start to work on crab pot sorting and other important gear shed things. I said perfect, we can get it done! Now the push was on!
The crabbers will lose this pleasant view from their work space, and room to maneuver crab pots, if a huge building goes up on this field.
In through our south east gate:
I had texted Our Kathleen, who was going to stop by for a visit and to bring us some cardboard and newspaper, that we would not have time to even stop for a brief chat. It was a PUSHPUSHPUSH day. Bless her heart, and I do not mean that in the sardonic Southern way, we returned to our front driveway after one bucket delivery trip and found the pile of cardboard and newspaper delivered anyway. This was fortuitous because I needed it badly to lay on the soil under an old willow tree whose roots and old trunk made a perfect edging for a raised bed of some shade plants. There are still remnants of ivy roots there that I wish to discourage by smothering.
I lost track of how many van trips we made with all our 27 4 or 5 gallon buckets full. I think it was at least five trips. On one walk back with the wheelbarrow, I heard a cat fight on the other side of the compost bins. By the time I got there, only Skooter, the victor, remained.
Allan was fortunate to see this cute dog on walkabout near the gear shed.
Some crocuses had opened for us to admire in the front garden near the mulch pile.
Hellebores will flower soon.
Clematis ‘Freckles’ by the garage:
Plant table in the Bogsy Wood:
Befores, durings, and afters in the willow grove:
The cherished frog bog is on the other side of the fence.
On the final trip, we left some buckets undumped where I am going to raise up some plants in an already planted bed.
It was almost dark for my last walk of the day back to the house.
There is still plenty of soil energy left to move, but the rest of it can be done by me in the wheelbarrow to areas that require more weeding and slow work than just dumping in new beds. This sets Allan free to get back to his door project and other things that amuse him more than hauling dirt. I appreciated the help, I would probably only have two small beds done if I had been just wheelbarrowing the long, sodden, squishy path to the willow grove.
The mulch pile tonight:
Crocus! That is a beautiful photo! Voles and gophers got most of mine.
LikeLike
Rats or squirrels have been tearing up my crocuses the past couple of years.
Hope you both get some downtime before your work for clients and Long Beach begins. Books for you and some boating time for Allan? Have your skies been clear? Our promised week of no rain and sun, turned into daily cold fog. It is taking me as long to turn out and spread one bin of compost, and then turn the other over – as you and Allan have taken to create a 1000 square foot new garden!
LikeLike
Allan is hoping for a boating excursion in the next two weeks, so hopes for good weather. I hope for some rain days for reading. We had clear skies two days out of three; Portland and Seattle are socked in with fog. In summer, it will be the cities that are hot and clear and we will get the marine inversion and have cold fog and wind. Then I will remember how hard it is to work in Long Beach!!
Remember, regarding our speed, we are desperately (I’m desperate, Allan is helping me deal with it) racing that potential monstrosity of a new building. I want to be ready to plant…and am, now.
LikeLike
You made a lot of progress! The garden looks nice with the fresh mulch. Love the beautiful crocus!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was a heap of work as they say.
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLike