Gardener’s Diary

Finished off the driveway with a half yard of 3/8 inch stone, finished off the front garden with the last 2 feet of mulch, bought the casings for the new windows.
Drenched. I’ve been drinking bathtubs full of anything liquid.

Gardener’s Diary

Ryan, his brother Matt and Matt’s girlfriend Nicole surprised me today, ready to go to work on R&M Landscaping’s first commission, a serious cleanup of the garden in front of the fence.
I wish I’d taken before and after photos, because they did a fine job edging, weeding and mulching, and certainly improved the look of the front yard.
I did yet another transfer station and grocery run while Ryan and Matt moved the last of the construction left-overs, a pair of glass doors, out of sight. The boys also put the grill back on the deck, thus completing the chores I couldn’t do myself.

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“Respect” and Sergeant Crowley

Let me start by saying that I think Sgt. James Crowley is an cowardly and arrogant ass, hiding behind the skirts of his boss and his union, unwilling to admit that he made a mistake in the way he handled the now-infamous arrest of Professor Henry Louis Gates.
I’ve known one other Crowley, a woman with a gigantic ego so easily bruised that she was offended when my department failed to give her credit for a minor suggestion she offered around an equally minor point of discussion.

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Gardener’s Diary

The siding and new windows on the back of the house are installed, and between Ed and I, we’ve pretty much cleaned up the mess of construction materials that’s been a eyesore for weeks.
There are still some odds and ends to be completed, including reattaching the dryer vent, an oversight which I discovered last night to my chagrin.

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New Garden

Yes, there is, at long last, a real garden in the back yard, and around the new deck.
It is beautiful, mirage-like against the backdrop of pine trees, ferns and low-lying woodland shrubs.
The garden includes Miss Kim lilacs, hydrangeas, iris, roses, Sweet Summer, St. John’s wort, Shasta daisies, dahlias, Foxglove, Hibiscus, lavender, grasses, day lilies.
I planted annuals in the oval offset and along the Northwest side of the porch.

Gardener’s Diary

It’s hot and humid, and we are at the “almosts” as far as construction: almost done with the siding, trim, interior finish work, deck railings, front stairs.
Mark and Ryan worked their tails off yesterday in spite of the heat. They got in the three new windows as well as all but the topmost course of the back siding: just as well, we’ve had off and on torrential rain since 4:30 this morning.
I’m glad Robert and I cleaned up the big cardboard siding boxes last evening. He did most of the work.

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Gardener’s Diary

I’m tired. Not the walking-under-water kind, but just enough that loud noises are really, REALLY annoying.
A lot has gone on this past week. We now have a floor and one window in the attic, and the siding from the right side and back of the house has been stripped.
The landscape designer and I picked out the perennials and shrubs, which will be planted on Monday afternoon.
The grading will be done tomorrow, and the deck will be in place on Monday morning.

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Gardener’s Diary

James stayed over last week, which meant that Peter only had to deal with two kids while Bonnie was away for training.
He was a big help, washed the floors one day, cleaned the windows, and helped me clear the South corner of the lot.
Work on the new deck was sporadic, partly because of the weather and partly because the carpenter had other jobs.
Same deal with spreading the remaining 20 yards of loam.

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Post Office Thinks of Everything

Yesterday, good neighbor Joe put up the mailbox that was part of Peter’s Father’s Day present. It replaced the sorry, beat up container that made the whole front yard look tacky.
The installation kit included post office requirements that outline the size and placement of house numbers on the box, plus the following specific instructions for the post:
The post or support for the box should be of neat design, adequate size and strength, and must be designed to not represent effigies or caricatures that would tend to disparage or ridicule any person.
There’s got to be an interesting story behind that.