Saturday, July 6, 2013

A tale (of woe) on Independence Day

When life gives you lemons!

I worked really hard to get my lawn mowed, edged, and trimmed over a period of two days.  I was actually ashamed of the yard.  It had been nearly two years since I edged and trimmed.  Visiting friends over the upcoming holiday forced me to work hard on the lawn, which also forced me to leave my lofty perch in my cool office.  I was cleaning the back patio, which I am not at all fond of (the back patio that is, because I actually don't mind cleaning), when I decided to move the containers I keep kindling and small wood in, while also sweeping the patio of the excess grass left by the edger and trimmer.  As I started to move one of the plastic (have I mentioned how much I love to hate plastic?) containers cat litter used to come in,


it fell and broke into smithereens.  Actually, I have no one to blame but myself, because I should know that sunlight is deadly to plastic, which breaks down under the sun's hot rays.

The main problem was, although I had already picked up most of the wet kindling when I took this photo, there was evidence of some that still needed to be dealt with.


In addition to the wet wood that had to be picked up, I also had to contend with the water that spilled and mixed in with the bits of of grass I had not yet removed to the compost container.


The fact that the rest of the yard looked decent, did nothing to help the fact I would not be able to cook fix the meal in my chiminea for my friends if my wood was wet.

So I did the next best thing.  I raised the sun umbrella, cleaned up the area as best I could, put my cleaning supplies away, and headed for the shower.

While waiting for my company, I decided to take a few photos of the neighborhood.  First to the south of my house,

then to the north.  Everyone seemed to be taking advantage of the extended weekend.

And of course, I had to take a couple of photos of my bricks,

which you can finally see again.


Once the sun came out, I decided to update those of you who visit all the time, with a few photos of my herb garden.

It may be easier to see everything from this location.  It's rather obvious, some of the seeds took off right away, while a few didn't bother to germinate.  However, after taking my friend Sally to the airport on Wednesday morning, I stopped by Lowes (a big box home improvement store in the US) and picked up two plants for half price.  Can you tell which ones they are?

Yep. you guessed it.  This is my third attempt at raising this lovely herb that smells so incredibly wonderful.

And here's another view.  I'm hoping third time is a charm!

So as to not leave you hanging, I took my friends to dinner at a local restaurant.  It was the least I could do, since the wood was still not dry when they arrived.  And true to form, I forgot the camera.  I hope you are enjoying your weekend.  Is it a long one for you, or did you have to return to work today?


13 thoughtful remarks:

Denise Price said...

Happy (Belated) 4th of July!

Dawn said...

Awe Elizabeth what a pain in the posterior with your garden, but you have it looking beautiful sweetie. Fingers crossed for you with the lavender, one of my faves too.
Hope you have a fab weekend.
Huge huggles x x x x

Halle said...

Your herbs appear to have made a strong comeback. I just got a lavender plant from some friend who are moving across country. I need to see if it's hardy in my zone. I'd like to plant it in my little flower garden.
Happy belated 4th!

Dianne said...

darn...murphy's law strikes again...when trying to clean up- some disaster will make an additional mess! but, now the lawn and patio look great, and your herb garden looks like it's doing well! I just started lavender last year, and got a second plant this year. it does smell wonderful! hope your day with visitors was lovely, have a great rest of the weekend!

Little Messy Missy said...

Your herbs look awesome.
xoxoxox

Rita said...

Always an extra pain to clean up messes we know we could have avoided--LOL! But you did a good job of it. The herb garden looks pretty good. Maybe those late sprouters will still make an appearance, too. Never know. I bet you had a good time with your company regardless of your altered plans. :)

voodoo vixen said...

The garden is looking neat and tidy now though, so your hard work paid off! Would your herbs be better off with the pots buried below the ground? They might lose so much moisture that way. I have a monstrous lavender in my front garden at home... it really likes to be cut back hard occasionally, hope yours survives this time round!

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Divers and Sundry said...

i know you're proud it turned out so well for your company. i hope the lavender thrives for you.

~*~Patty S said...

My first impression upon seeing your photos was "oh NO there was a fire and the container melted!"...
Glad you got everything tidied up (such a pain right before company too!) and looking spiffy.
I scrambled yesterday to beat the rain and give our Lavender bushes a hair cut...this is the first time in 20+ years that I will not be making any woven wands...the fresh stems have to be cut at just the right time and these were a little past but will dry and make nice stuffing for sachets and such...
Hope your Lavender does well...our plants enjoy the hot summer sun with really good drainage and a good haircut after they bloom...
oxo

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