Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
Getting Dirty
I sit here writing this, pretty much sore from tip to toe. Literally. I am not kidding, even my feet hurt. Why? What abuse have I put my body through to deserve such pain?
Yard work. Now, I don't mean putting on a floppy hat and pulling a few weeds. No genteel mowing or pushing a spreader around. Please, that's not yard work, that's taking a walk and whistling. Our version of yard work usually includes yard axes, shovels, loppers, saws, or metal rakes. Sometimes it requires things like men with chainsaws and chippers, or a Bobcat (not kidding) and so forth. It always includes ending the day caked in mud/dirt, and God knows what else.
One of my hobbies in the summer is rebuilding the flagstone walls throughout our property. I can lift and tear out and replace some very large, heavy stones, and I have devised several methods for moving ones I can't lift. Why do I do this to myself? Well, really, it's necessary with a yard like ours, which is close to being a little urban farm, but I also love it. Working in the yard is not only the best workout you can imagine, but it's cathartic and creative.
This is a picture of part of what I call our "back forty" used to look like -- and it was actually worse than this when we moved in. We moved in in winter, and when spring hit, you basically couldn't see the ground in over 50% of the total yard. If you see that little patch of lawn in this picture, it wasn't there before -- the tree branches literally would weave to the brush on the ground with vines, etc. Once, my BIL was helping us cut down a tree. He cut the trunk, and pushed -- the tree stayed up, held by vines.
You could only walk down there with a machete (kidding, but close). Now it's more or less clear, lawn, select trees and so forth kept, with fruit trees, berry patches, and a rhubarb patch, as well.
We put in five straight hours yesterday and today, ten hours total, of planting five good-sized trees, among other things. We also have several areas in the yard that were weed-infested and choked by brush, dead limbs, and God knows what else, and we cleaned out one huge section of the back forty. I cleared out my rhubarb patch, gathered some rhubarb, and then also thinned a bunch of Hostas and replanted about 2 dozen of the baby plants on a slope -- planting on slopes is a special kind of workout.
Here is another older picture -- the big pines are gone, the walls are straight, the gardens rebuilt and replanted. Most of what looks like overgrown bush here is now lawn or actual garden.
I have, over time, seduced Mike into his own yard adventures. He is the Master of the Berry Patches (we now have 4 varieties of raspberry growing). :) Our yard now has more sun than it ever has, and it actually looks like a yard, not a jungle, but there are still trees and gardens everywhere.... But they are increasingly more manageable and enjoyable. We use a lot of things from the yard, fruit and flowers, as well as feeding the local wildlife (sometimes against my will...)
For me, a hard day of physical work in the yard has the same effect as a day at the beach -- the beach is much more relaxing, I will say -- but the end result for me is the same: food tastes fantastic, the shower feels fantastic, I sleep like a baby. I feel great (well, except for the pain). Of course, when I wake up, I move very slowly and make funny noises (only at first... as the summer goes on, this gets better).
I grew up in a more or less standard yard; we did some planting, but I was a garden freak since I can remember. Even as a teenager, I would be the one digging up my parent's yard to put in vegetables, etc. Any time I had a yard, I had gardens, for as long as I can recall. My father says it's because both sets of grandparents were farmers. I can't help myself, it's genetic.
However, my interest in other outdoor activities is limited. I will hike and kayak, but I hate camping. I had enough camping when I was a kid, and I personally like a bathroom of my own with no spiders in it. I will hike or boat anywhere -- as long as there is an inn or hotel at the end of the day.
Because that's the payoff... you work hard, then you enjoy something great to eat, and relax in clean, exhausted comfort until you fall into bed. Nothing like it.
Do you enjoy yard work (Holly Jacobs, I know you are out there, you wood-chopping fool... ;) Holly is my rock-wall building sister of the soul). How about you all? Do you get dirty?
Or are you a more civilized type? Share, and in a few days I'll pick someone to win something fun... I don't know what yet. I keep hoping my authors copies of Hard to Resist will show up, and if they do, you'll get one of those. If they don't, then you'll get something fun. ;)
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I actually hate yard work.
I actually hate yard work. Even what you call walking...mowing, pulling weeds, planting, etc. I wanted to like it. Tried to find the romance in playing with the earth. But I just don't like dirt.
I do bow down to your projects and your yard though! I'd love to see pics of the yard now. :)
Hey, that's okay :)
You don't have to like dirt. You have two boys, so I imagine you are well acquainted with it already. ;)
I should take some pictures of it now -- maybe once the roses, etc are flowering.
Sam
Amy
Amy, I hate dirt..and bugs...and I'm not allowed in the sun. So I get that. LOL
Holly
www.HollyJacobs.com
UNEXPECTED GIFTS, Harlequin SuperRomance, 11/09
EVERYTHING BUT A CHRISTMAS EVE, Avalon, 12/09
Maybe i will some day!
But for now, no! I live in an apartment and they dont keep the lawns up very well, and whenever you have flowers out the kids tend to pick them. Not fun, either that or my son and his friends (5yr olds) run over them while playing, so nope no yard work here.
But when we have our own house, i wont mind it a bit. I'm sure i'll even like planting flowers and such, dont mind getting dirty at all. SOmetimes it's actually fun, if someone else is playing too!
lol
jody
Exactly!
It is fun, and it's more fun with help. ;) Dh didn't get into it for a long time, but now, most of the time, when I'm out there, he'll be out there too (except on a weekday, of course). Weirdly, I almost like clearing and cleaning/weeding more than planting. I like the end result of planting, but I don't enjoy it as much. Maybe because after you weed and clean, you can really see the payoff, where with much planting, you plant the thing, then you have to sit back and wait. LOL I am terrible at waiting... writing makes me wait for things, and so I end up not wanting to wait in other areas of life, I guess. ;)
Sam
Uh...
We've got the black thumb of death, as we call it. I'm not terribly fond of yard work either, so I can't say that we do much of it. We have help to keep the few plants out there alive, and aside from that we don't do much! Your yard looks amazing though, Sam! You're a true Renaissance woman--you can do it all!
Nah, not all...
Just a few specialty areas, LOL. I can't, for instance, build thing. Jeannie was talking on her blog a while ago about all of her plans to actually build stuff this summer, closets, etc -- I wouldn't know the wrong end of a hammer. I can barely put things together that come in a kit with directions (this could be because I don't like reading directions...).
I do love plants though, inside and out. Though believe me, there are also many days where I think, you know, if we just mowed it all over and made it lawn, we would have had this weekend free... LOL But it usually levels off... this first big spring cleaning/planting jag, then the rest of the year is fine.
Here's an irony -- neither of us mows. We pay someone to do that. He comes in once a week and mows and does the edging, because we had one rainy summer where between two of us, we were spending 4 hours a week mowing and edging, and barely keeping up. It just kept growing. Then, we had no time to do any of the other stuff, so the gardens started to suffer, etc -- so we hired the mowing guy (whom we call our yard elf, because he usually comes when we're not here, and when we come home, voila, nicely mowed yard).
So it's funny that the one thing most people do, we don't do. ;)
This sounds like my day...
...the weeds, the dirt, the need for a machete. Only I spent it cleaning out my 10-year-old's room.
Yep, also sore.
D@mn, I'm old....
Heh
Been there... much scarier than a garden. Give me a yard axe any time. *G*
Sam, also old. Moving very slowly this morning, though not as bad as I anticipated...
Don't like it, but enjoy the results
Hail to the Redskins!
Don't like it, but do feel like I've accomplished something at the end of the day. Its like housecleaning or laundry. Don't like it, but enjoy the results. The rabbits and squirrils and birds like the yard, they're always in it. Dog enjoys chasing them. Dog also enjoys digging in it. We just removed Faiths childhood swingset and planted grass where the sandbox was, and she's dug a hole there.
Last year we replaced all the landscaping, and the yard looks so much better. Its nice to take a book and enjoy reading in it. Right now, God is watering the grass-its raining.
Yes!
It's the sense of accomplishment, though I admit, I also like it. We have the wildlife, too, and they have been more of a problem this year, I lost most of my tulips to the squirrels, then the woodchuck thought she was going to start in eating my brand new tulip magnolia, but I found the cure: Moth Balls. I sprinkled some around the base of the tree and some of the new tulips coming up, and so far, no problem. They are avoiding those spots like the plague.
One of my favorite things is having a fire out in the firepit, admiring the yard, and sitting with a book. It's how we entertained ourselves most of last summer, since we didn't take a vacation, and I'm looking forward to it again this year.
Sam
Ugh...the great outdoors
IHMO is best enjoyed inside, with a tall cool glass of something and a book. Our back yard desperately needs landscaping and some day my husband will do something about that, LOL. But, I do have a small child and I know he'd love gardening - vegetables, etc - so maybe I'll motivate myself via "motherly duty".
LOL
And this is what keeps landscapers in business, which I am all for. Helping the economy and all of that. Though having your own small garden patch might be fun -- and addictive. You'd be surprised. ;)
Sam
On the same page...er ...ah...yeah
Sam,
I love to chop wood, it's a wonderful stress relief. We don't have a wood stove but when we did I didn't mind getting my hands dirty. It felt like an honest days work and I accomplished something.
I'm not a great gardener, but I'm a 'mean' landscaper if I set my mind to it. Must do very small projects at a time, so as I can accomplish them within 1-2 days. Otherwise it's left for hubby to do. He claims he doesn't like to, but secrectly I think he doesn't mind.
I do not love camping, never have. Love the idea of camping, but the bugs, the work involved before a trip is exhausting. Give me a Cabin and running water, I'll be there.
I wasn't going to do any landscaping this year...now that your yard is looking so beautious, I may have to take on a very small project. Oy. I love to get the 50-75% sales on the trees, shrubs, ect. It's more of a challenge to keep them alive come mid summer, dontcha think. Or I am just cheap. ha.
Wood...
Interestingly, I thought I would enjoy chopping wood, but I don't. Hubby loves it though, and I love to watch him do it, so it works out. ;) It breaks down like that -- he has things in the yard he likes, and I have things I like, and some things we do together, but it all somehow gets done.
I will buy the nearly dead perennials, LOL, b/c they are cheap, and they usually do come back after a season or two -- I always feel like I am "rescuing" them, LOL. However, with trees I always go to a nursery and buy the best ones I can, just because I have learned how touchy flowering or fruit trees can be, and they take so long to grow and produce that I want to make sure I have a good, healthy tree to start with.
I love what you said about gardener vs landscaper... yes, I think I am a mean landscaper, too. ;) We're playing with the idea of building our own patio, etc but we have so many hard surfaces that need to be dug up and redone, it's not happening this year. I would like someone else to come in and excavate, and then I would like to redo all of the pavers, etc myself (w/hubby).
And yes on the bugs -- I hate the bugs. Mosquitoes, mostly. I always think I could do Survivor if they had a bathroom and no bugs, LOL.
Sam
LOL
Sam,
LOL I just got in from splitting about half a cord of wood and saw your post! I love what you're doing with your yard, and you know I'm right there with you! We've been offered a cache of hardwood that we've been hauling, but when that's done (and we finish the new windows and siding renovations) we're back out to camp for another load of stone. I want to edge the veggie garden this year!
I love feeling that my workout each day is worthwhile. That it serves a purpose. Splitting wood certainly does, and I'm all for beautifying our property!
Speaking of beauty...your yard is looking soooo great!
Holly
www.HollyJacobs.com
UNEXPECTED GIFTS, Harlequin SuperRomance, 11/09
EVERYTHING BUT A CHRISTMAS EVE, Avalon, 12/09
That's right...
I forgot that I sent you some of the "After" pictures last year... I should try to dig some of those out...though they were still "in progress" ones... I think it's always "in progress..."
Sam
I love
mowing my grass and trimming the hedges. I haven't gotten very adventurous in changing what's already there though. I need to mulch a flower bed along the drive and maybe plant something new. But I love 'striping' my grass when I mow! Right now my grass is still dormant - it's zoysia - but when it comes in green, the 'stripes' look really cool. IMO.
What you've done - gorgeous. You should be an episode on HGTV.
LOL
I think we'd have to be on one of those "save my yard" shows, LOL. But then, I don't always like what the landscapers do... I've watched those shows, and sometimes their designs seem so cookie-cutter, you know? But then I have also seen landscaping I wish I had the big bucks for...I bet someone with more money than energy could do greater things with our yard. Maybe someday. For now it comes down to what we can do ourselves, though we do fantasize. :)
I love the striped grass -- that is so cool. I also love that you take such joy in it -- that's what it's all about!
Sam
I do get down and dirty, lol
I do get down and dirty, lol but not to the extent you and others do. I plants flowers in pots, have a few Perennials, sweet the patio when needed, can cut the lawn but dh got a riding tractor and loves using it.
BEAUTIFUL, Sam!
Gorgeous work you've done there!
I'm not much for yard work, though at the new house all the acreage is just so pretty I can't help but enjoy being outside. I spent my morning outside today, weeding and exploring (every day is like a surprise as something new pops up in the landscaping, LOL).
Shirley
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author
In Stores Now: DOORSTEP DADDY
www.shirleyjump.com
THE WELL, coming in September
www.ajwhitten.com
Love it
So glad you are enjoying the new yard as well as the new house!
Psssst...hey folks, check out the new news -- Shirley is a Double Finalist! :)
Sam
I love working in my
I love working in my yard---and yes, at the end of the day I am filthy.
The next day I am so sore I can hardly get out of bed.
Yard work
I like to to grow things but sometimes I am just not crazy about all the work that it takes. I am usually enthusiastic in the spring but when we get hot and humid weather my enthusiasm seems to leave.
Yard work?
I grew up in the city so I'm not familiar with any kind of yard work. We never planted trees or vegetable. We have potted our own plants, but that's simple compared to real yard work.
Re: Survivor
Hail to the Redskins!
I'm with you Sam, Survivor with a bathroom and NO BUGS!
WINNER!
Well, my book copies aren't here yet (Whhhiiinnneeee LOL), but I do have a cute little polka dot tote I can give away -- it's a simple little tote, but very cute, I think.
And the winner is....
Teresa!
Teresa, just email me your addy, and I'll pop it in the mail next week. :) And expect me to nag you about a picture for my bag wall. :)
Sam
Yippee!
Hooray, Teresa! We'd love to see a photo of you with Sam's awesome bag! Congrats!
Photo
Hail to the Redskins!
I'll get a picture to you ASAP. I'll be getting help from my dd and dh, my tech support people, lol