Chore List for 5/3
Dig out 1 bucketful of Bermuda grass.
Finish edging patio flower bed.
Plant Four O' Clocks around patio.
Install folding fencing around Four O' Clocks.
Clean and hose off patio.
That's all that got accomplished today. Maybe I can finally finish up tomorrow.
Before (top) and after (bottom). The little fencing is not only there to keep the dogs out, it will eventually be hidden by the big Four O' Clocks that are planted behind it. It will (hopefully) keep those large plants upright and off of the grass. I moved a few volunteer alyssum to the front of the fencing and trimmed the dead branches from the thyme plant. Poor old thyme has been there for 20 years, and it looks worse every year. I fear it's on its last legs and will have to be replaced with a new plant next year.....probably a rosemary, as I don't use much thyme. I tossed that small rug in the washer, and it completely fell apart. Mr. Granny said if Otto (the boy dog) had peed on me all winter, I'd probably disintegrate too! He (Otto, not Mr. Granny) did have a habit of not quite making it off the patio when it was wet or snowy outside.
Tomorrow I have to install my new clothesline. I took my old one down to our Arizona house several years ago, and it got sold along with the property. I have, in the past, strung some lines over the dog kennel garden, but that's getting too full of plants to be used for drying clothes. So....I bit the bullet and bought a new one the other day. I was shocked at the prices! I probably paid no more than $25 for my old umbrella style line 20-some years ago, and it's still sturdy to this day. I searched on line for a new one, and most of them were nearly $200 and even more! I finally found what looked to be a decent one at Home Depot for $89.99, but decided to Google the brand and model number, which brought me to the exact same one at Walmart for just under $40. Fifty dollars difference is a lot! I also got free shipping to my house if I ordered another $5 item, so I ordered a can of coffee! The order came in two shipments. The coffee arrived in two days (yesterday), packed in a heavy cardboard (reusable!) box and delivered to my door by FedEx. It's the same brand I buy locally, and it was actually cheaper on line. The clothesline came today. I haven't opened it yet, so tomorrow I'll know whether I got a good deal, or if it's only going to be strong enough to hang out our underwear, LOL!
At least your list has dates from May! Mine still has April dates. Can't wait to see a picture of your clothes line. I haven't seen that type in years.
ReplyDeleteEd, the Four O'Clocks you sent got planted today. The others self seed and come up all over, so I had to mark where the new ones were planted....I cleared off each spot, pushed a seed into the surface of the soil, surrounded it with a canning jar ring and covered it with a mixture of "our special mix" + a bit of vermiculite. Hopefully I'll be able to identify them now!
DeleteI like those umbrella type lines, as they don't take up a lot of yard space, and they can be easily removed if one wants to make the yard look nice for special occasions (or for mowing). Hanging sheets on four sides makes a neat tent for small visiting grandchild/great grandchildren. The only drawback is on really windy days....they can keep one running in circles while trying to hang clothes up!
Mr. Granny is so funny! I'm glad you've stopped making lists, so you can catch up. I'm not all that sure that underwear is that much lighter than regular clothes. Not mine anyway... Your garden is looking so good this year.
ReplyDeleteAlison, how heavy can your underwear be? LOL! My sister gave me a cheap clothesline to take to AZ, and the first time I hung a quilt on it the darned thing bent. That's when I took the one from here at the house down with us, and resorted to (mostly) using the dryer. I hope this one isn't a "bender"!
DeleteI love hanging out clothes. It's a shame so many places nowadays don't allow for it. I couldn't imagine going without. I dread winter when I have to use the dryer.....
ReplyDeleteMe too, Sue. And Mr. Granny hates it when I hang out his jeans, as he says they are too stiff. I figure I can give his things a ten minute fluffing in the dryer, then finish them off on the line. I like my jeans stiff.
DeleteBTW, your latest post concerns me. I can't comment (read that as "I can't pick your brains"), so would you consider emailing me at anniebloom1 at gmail dot com? Love ya, you know :-)
I've never had an outside clothes line. I've got one inside that I use for my sheets. I couldn't imagine hanging clothes outside to pick up all the pollen in the air. Between the asthma and allergies I can barely breath. My husband keeps telling me I need an indoor hobby.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I love the smell of my laundry when it comes in off the line! Nothing better than line dried fresh sheets on the bed, and nothing whiter than whites dried in the sun! Luckily, I have no bad allergies to pollen.
DeleteIt's so rewarding to edge beds, isn't it? They look so nice and sharp =)
ReplyDeleteDorothy, I love neat edgings. Unfortunately, they never stay that way!
DeleteHa! We are obviously on the same wave length. I posted a "catching up" blog post almost at the same time you posted this one! There is always just a little more work to be done in the garden in spring, but I have been pulled away from the garden too much lately with other commitments and really have some catching up to do. As always, you wear me out just reading about your perpetual energy. ;D
ReplyDeleteKitsap, oddly enough your most recent blog isn't showing up in my Google Reader! I wonder how often that happens. I'm off to read about your garden feats.....because you always wear ME out with your energy! I don't know how you do it all and hold down a full time job as well.
DeleteI finally switched to a folding stand from IKEA. Sturdy, and it will hold an entire load, but not as easy to manage as the old umbrella one.
ReplyDeleteYour energy is tiring to just read about.
Stefaneener, the post sleeve is now in wet concrete, so by this time tomorrow I'll have a clothesline again! Too bad I already have all my laundry done, but it looks like rain again anyway.
DeleteI have an umbrella one that I bought 7 years ago at a local farm store called Rural King, and I think it was around 29 dollars...I love it and use it all the time. My husbandman actually likes the feel of his t-shirts and jeans after hanging on the line. IMagine. lol
ReplyDeleteYour flowerbbeds look great and all I could think as --OMG! I had forgotten all about Four O'clocks! My mom always had big concrete planters full of them when I was a kid...
Akannie, I love the smell and freshness of line dried clothes. I'll be putting my new clothesline to work today! I was shocked at some of the prices for the umbrella type, some way over $200!
ReplyDelete