Moving Right Along

This morning turned out to be quite productive as I cleaned out the oleander "hedge" between my property and the rental next door. Much of the shrubbery was so dead and dry that it easily pulled out of the ground, but lots of branches had to be forcefully removed before I could trim the remaining plants.

The remains of the oleander massacre fill the bed of my pick-up truck, which means I now have to make a dump run and pay to remove the garden waste. We aren't allowed to put yard clippings into our weekly disposal barrels, even though I pay A LOT for curbside pickup whether I have a full barrel or an empty one sitting on the curb. I'm tempted to do what everyone else does: put the yard trimmings on the bottom and the garbage sacks on top so it appears as if I'm following the rules no one else follows!

The neighbors now have a nice, open view into my backyard and patio area, even those who live on the ground level. I did establish a rock border down 1/2 of the fence line, but have to go on another rock-hunting mission before I can finish that part of the project. I'm going to buy soil enhancer and dump it into the area to help absorb water once I begin to water the remaining bushes, which should fill in and re-establish a privacy screen.

Before I can establish any new plants at the driveway edge of the yard, my next project, I have to bring in extra dirt to fill in/up the areas that are bare. I need about 4-6 inches the entire length of that area before I plant the hedge I want to cover the view to the street.

My next door neighbor, who doesn't speak much English, watched me work for about an hour, encouraging me with head shakes, shoulder shrugs, "bueno," "uh" and "oh," which was kinda nice. He's the guy who whistles for Mia--and she responds instantly--and gives her bones to bury in what are now the planters. He also tosses his cigarettes into my yard, but maybe he'll stop doing that now that he's "helped" me to clean up the yard?

When the damned wind started blowing, I came inside, showered, and iced my hands, wrists, and forearms, hoping to forestall the excruciating pain I experienced all last week from my gardening project. I'm NOT going to quit until I've finished what I started, so may have to buy some braces before I go out looking for the next load of rocks. Tomorrow, I'll paint the wooden privacy screen I made last weekend and then secure it to the patio frame so that project will be finished.

One step at a time ...