Monday, March 21, 2016

WEEKEND UPDATE


It was a very productive weekend.  Saturday I got everything mowed and edged (see Saturday evening's post HERE).  

Sunday I went back out and worked in the garden.



I had an audience of course...the neighborhood cows...I gave them some grass clippings, they were happy.


Above is the garden before.  

The storms last week played havoc with a few of the raised bed covers, and the rains made the weeds and grass grow.  Sigh...but I borrowed 2nd Family's push lawnmower and mowed...then edged around the beds, then started pulling weeds that had grown back in the beds.


And above is the end result of the garden after.  

I still had a few weeds to pull when I took this picture but it's all done.  Next is putting down weedblock of some sort...cardboard is ideal but I'm not sure I have time to gather up that much.  We might have to do the cloth again and put down deeper mulch than last time. We are running out of time to get things up and running in the garden and there is so much else to do.


I also cleaned up the front and put some landscape timbers down so we can get some flowers (marigolds?) and maybe herbs planted.


It was another breezy day with the windows open...though I can neither confirm nor deny that a nap may or may not taken place here...

Pasta with ground beef and spinach
And when I came home, it was this pasta dish that 2nd Man made up.  Spinach, ground beef, mushrooms and onions.  It was a great way to end a great weekend.

I didn't get to the porch but that's OK because I realized I can do that on a rainy day, or a hot day, since it's deep to be protected from the rain and shady to be much cooler than outside. So there is time for that later.  For now I have to focus on the yard.  

Hope you had a great weekend!


20 comments:

  1. I love those black angus cows against the all-green background - so pretty.
    You have the right idea with the cardboard and a deep layer of mulch in the garden. You might try the big furniture stores for a load of lots of cardboard. For the mulch - does Houston have a free or low-cost mulch station from the chopped up tree limbs they pick up?
    Marigolds and herbs would look great in your flowerbeds by the garden - and they will repel some of the bad bugs.
    And you had another beautiful, delicious supper to come home to - the perfect end to a very productive weekend.
    It’s warmed up a bit today and the sun is shining, so I’m going out to work in my garden. And eat a few tomatoes - one of my yellow pear tomatoes was in a protected spot and didn’t freeze this winter - so now I have some early tomatoes.

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    1. ANGUS! I wasn't sure what they were. It is pretty with the green. No free mulch around, I asked...it was a productive and good weekend (and filling, ha). I'll check around for cardboard, maybe I can do what I can and wing it for the rest, ha.

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  2. Wow good job...and dinner looks amazing!

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  3. You know you could just leave grass for now you'd have to keep it mowed but it might let you do the other stuff now. Just a thought looks great though hard work there! And a great meal to come home too.

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    1. You know, I never thought about that, very true. That could be our backup plan (though I LOVE how pretty it is with mulch, ha). Dinner was lovely, thank you!

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  4. Such a lovely photo of the cows grazing in that bright green grass field.
    Layering thick layers of newspapers will also help. Just water down your papers once laid out if you go that route and then put nice layer of good ole compost on top

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    1. That pasta dish sure does look good. Love pasta dishes so will be making this for sure but think I will use Italian sausage in place of the hamburger.

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  5. Nice tidy bit of work there well done

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    1. Thank you, it is such a relief to have it done, it's a pain when you are doing it but so rewarding when it's done.

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  6. What a difference some hard work makes, the garden is looking good.
    When we weed proofed my son's garden for a 5 month visit to the United States we got big sheets of cardboard that go between tins of paint when they are transported on pallets, I am sure you could find some at your local hardware store or paint outlet. They worked well when applied wet and covered with mulch.

    You may be able to get some early plants going on the verandah if it is south facing it would be warm and protected.

    How exciting to be getting everything ready for the warmer weather and weekends at your Happy Place with no driving into town at the end of a relaxing day.....bliss

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    1. Thank you! Wow, that's a good idea. I will check that out. Great suggestion. I'm sure they just get rid of it anyway. Yep, that's what we want to get it all back to livable so we can go and relax (mixed with a bit of work, hs)

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  7. you should be proud of all that hard yard work; it looks FABU!

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    1. Thank you, it was hard but definitely rewarding!

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  8. Good job I know it's a relief. And um recipe please??

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    1. Thanks and I'll work on 2nd Man and see what he can come up with!!

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  9. Wonderful progress. You should be very proud.

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    1. Thanks, looking at the before and after does make me feel better, now I just need to do more, ha.

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  10. Great job! What a difference! All the pictures are an enticement to visit the countryside. Hmmm, I'll have to see what I am doing this weekend. Thanks for the incentive! PS: Naps are mandatory for hard working folks. You deserve it!

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    1. Thanks! Naps are always a good thing aren't they?

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