Really busy weekend (and last Saturday off for a long while). Saturday: up early and out in the garden. (I remembered to slather on the sunscreen...more on that later.) The plan was to get the nasty grass-infested perenial bed weeded and then temporary move the plants I want to keep and divide, get new good dirt in and till it up and replace the plants. Jeff "volunteered" to weed the retaining wall area if I started on the nasty perenial bed...(no my DH does not like to weed and he likes even less to try and decern what is a plant and what is a weed.) We actually got started out there by 9am, then my folks called and said they'd like to stop by with my Grandmother for lunch. OK, the house inside is a complete disaster! So we are back inside - picking up, vacuuming...no scrubbing and I warned my folks not to expect much. They volunteered to bring pizza for lunch (Papa Murphy's low-carb crust). But we lost about an hour outside. Weather turned quite warm (for a NW spring). My folks helped out for about half an hour while the pizza cooked. But it was pretty apparent that by 3pm that the perenial bed was not going to be in a place to move soil into on Sunday. Foodwise, I was probably over my carbs for the day but not too badly. Not enough water and too much sunshine (yes I got out a hat in the afternoon.)
Sunday: Oh baby! do I hurt! You'd think that the gardening muscles would not hurt so bad after 3 weekends in a row! We are out by 10am - weather is much cooler with a breeze! DH and I did get the retaining wall area weeded and that area did need backfilling where things had settled the last couple of years. We decide to move the soil from the side of our house (getting ready for the siding crew to have an area to work out of) to the wall garden beds first. So the shoveling, wheelbarrowing & raking begins. We move from there to the front beds, side beds and vegetable boxes...skipping the perenials and rose garden areas which are not ready for new soil yet (but need it most!) This takes most of the day. By 6pm, I'm missing my "lost" hour and really hurt...DH is the same...but the dirt is out of the way. We pressure wash the concrete on the side of the house - I hope the siding crew appreciates the effort! Foodwise - I remember having steak, broccoli & asparagus for dinner but can't recall anything else, not enough water though.
Monday: Expecting the siding crew around 9am but get a call that they are running a least a half day behind. OK, so at least the work area is ready. DH and I look outside - stretch our tired muscles and decide that today is a non-heavy gardening day! DH will play basketball later with my dad & the teachers and mom and I will walk (a grueling pace for an hour!). I head off to the nursery and pick up some dianthus for the bed in front of the boxwood and some more wooley time to replace the area we had to dig out to remove the clover that crawled in during the winter months. I planted the plant starts after getting back (I had a breve on the way home). Siders are still not there when we leave for my folk house for the evening. But when we get home, their trailor is in place behind the gate of the side of the house.
Dinner was steak, green beans with bacon, green salad & low-carb rolls. My mom has the hang of this low-carb thing even if my father hasn't quite bought in yet. (She's been cutting out the "white" carbs from his dinner every night they eat at home now.)
Tuesday: I'm off one more day (because of the new schedule). Up really early to get the kitties fed before the hammering begins. Didn't get our walk in - but did get out and start on the rose bed early while DH played fetch, carry & mitigate for the siding crew. (DH promised to help with the rose bed too...) I started laundry and then on the second load, about the time the crew pulled the siding off the area where our laundry room is, the crew notices a water problem. Jeff lets the washer finish and then pulls it out away from the wall. Sure enough the hotwater hose is about to burst! Laundry is over for the day until we get new water lines. He also finds problems with the fittings on the pipes. He takes care of that problem while the wall is open along with some wiring as the day progresses. Meanwhile I brave the slugs and keep on working on the rose bed. I notice I'm getting a little pink around 11am - put on some sunscreen but it's too late - I'm burned. By the way - the sun wasn't really out much at all! DH helps me with the last of the weeding. The siding guys pack up around 5:30pm and DH and go get dinner out at Black Angus (steak place). I have a small filet, ceasar salad, mixed veggies & their steak soup (comes with dinner) and a margarita with lots of water. DH has the prime rib with a baked potato instead of the soup. We head over to Home Depot for waterlines and other misc. stuff and look at new exterior lights to replace the older, now tarnished ones but don't see anything we're excited about there or at Lowes'. Home - feed cats - drop dead! Lunch for me was cottage cheese - on plan except for not enough water.
This morning (Wednesday): up early again to feed the felines before the crew arrives. Our female is very skitterish with strangers about and wouldn't eat or even come downstairs all day if things are busy outside. DH and get about a 40 minute walk in and I head to work early. I've decided to put in an extra half hour Wed - Fri instead of be at work at noon on Saturday. We'll see how that goes. Should be a busy week with NHL playoffs starting - Go Red Wings!
Sunday: Oh baby! do I hurt! You'd think that the gardening muscles would not hurt so bad after 3 weekends in a row! We are out by 10am - weather is much cooler with a breeze! DH and I did get the retaining wall area weeded and that area did need backfilling where things had settled the last couple of years. We decide to move the soil from the side of our house (getting ready for the siding crew to have an area to work out of) to the wall garden beds first. So the shoveling, wheelbarrowing & raking begins. We move from there to the front beds, side beds and vegetable boxes...skipping the perenials and rose garden areas which are not ready for new soil yet (but need it most!) This takes most of the day. By 6pm, I'm missing my "lost" hour and really hurt...DH is the same...but the dirt is out of the way. We pressure wash the concrete on the side of the house - I hope the siding crew appreciates the effort! Foodwise - I remember having steak, broccoli & asparagus for dinner but can't recall anything else, not enough water though.
Monday: Expecting the siding crew around 9am but get a call that they are running a least a half day behind. OK, so at least the work area is ready. DH and I look outside - stretch our tired muscles and decide that today is a non-heavy gardening day! DH will play basketball later with my dad & the teachers and mom and I will walk (a grueling pace for an hour!). I head off to the nursery and pick up some dianthus for the bed in front of the boxwood and some more wooley time to replace the area we had to dig out to remove the clover that crawled in during the winter months. I planted the plant starts after getting back (I had a breve on the way home). Siders are still not there when we leave for my folk house for the evening. But when we get home, their trailor is in place behind the gate of the side of the house.
Dinner was steak, green beans with bacon, green salad & low-carb rolls. My mom has the hang of this low-carb thing even if my father hasn't quite bought in yet. (She's been cutting out the "white" carbs from his dinner every night they eat at home now.)
Tuesday: I'm off one more day (because of the new schedule). Up really early to get the kitties fed before the hammering begins. Didn't get our walk in - but did get out and start on the rose bed early while DH played fetch, carry & mitigate for the siding crew. (DH promised to help with the rose bed too...) I started laundry and then on the second load, about the time the crew pulled the siding off the area where our laundry room is, the crew notices a water problem. Jeff lets the washer finish and then pulls it out away from the wall. Sure enough the hotwater hose is about to burst! Laundry is over for the day until we get new water lines. He also finds problems with the fittings on the pipes. He takes care of that problem while the wall is open along with some wiring as the day progresses. Meanwhile I brave the slugs and keep on working on the rose bed. I notice I'm getting a little pink around 11am - put on some sunscreen but it's too late - I'm burned. By the way - the sun wasn't really out much at all! DH helps me with the last of the weeding. The siding guys pack up around 5:30pm and DH and go get dinner out at Black Angus (steak place). I have a small filet, ceasar salad, mixed veggies & their steak soup (comes with dinner) and a margarita with lots of water. DH has the prime rib with a baked potato instead of the soup. We head over to Home Depot for waterlines and other misc. stuff and look at new exterior lights to replace the older, now tarnished ones but don't see anything we're excited about there or at Lowes'. Home - feed cats - drop dead! Lunch for me was cottage cheese - on plan except for not enough water.
This morning (Wednesday): up early again to feed the felines before the crew arrives. Our female is very skitterish with strangers about and wouldn't eat or even come downstairs all day if things are busy outside. DH and get about a 40 minute walk in and I head to work early. I've decided to put in an extra half hour Wed - Fri instead of be at work at noon on Saturday. We'll see how that goes. Should be a busy week with NHL playoffs starting - Go Red Wings!
for you and the kitties,
Laurie,
