Whaddya Think?

This is what Phase One looks like finished; well, to be truthful, I need to buy about 4 more bags of the tiny rocks as I've finished the first layer, but have to go back and build depth.

Yep, it's exactly what I wanted it to look like--well, if all the plants grow, that is. The gophers are a real challenge, but I'll buy bait to put down their holes and use their dead bodies for deep fertilizer!

Augie was out and about at 6 am, just as the dogs and I were finishing our walk, so I asked him if he could roll the biggest rock across the street and put it in place for me, which he and his helper did. I gave him $10 for his morning coffee, so we were all happy. Believe me, there was no way I was going to be able to move the rock: the sweat equity required for this project is at the far end of my physical endurance.

I also told Augie I'm going to remove the rest of the dead grass and finish landscaping, and, oh, by the way, do you still have that Bobcat tractor? Yes, he does--and it's $55 an hour to rent. Hm, remove grass from side yard = 20 minutes + remove all the grass from the front yard = 40 minutes + add 2 scoops of dirt from across the street for the mound in the middle = maximum of $100. The mound in the middle is so the rocks will make an interesting pile and more nooks and crannies for my planting plan.

I'm also going to ask him about bringing in the larger rocks for the front yard as there are at least 2 dozen large rocks in the fields on the street, which shouldn't be a big deal. And, depending on how much all this will cost, I really, really want the huge flat rock from the field about 5 blocks away, and I'm willing to pay for it if Augie will go get it and put it in place. It'll form a natural bench so I can sit and enjoy the landscaping.

So, it seems to me that all of this piddly tractor work should stay somewhere in the $250 range, which is cheap and saves me weeks of manual labor. I still have to drive to the quarry and get the stones, one trip for the side yard and another trip for the big yard, once the rocks and planting are finished.

All in all, by the time fall arrives, I should be fully desert landscaped! Hurrah!