Weekend Woman Warrior I

Whew! I had to wait for dusk to creep across the backyard before planting the shrubs I bought today, but the soil conditioner and all the plants are in the ground, watered, and waiting for dawn to see what needs smoothing.

I hauled all but 6 large rocks for the edging and can hardly use my hands tonight. Last night, the 2 end fingers on my right hand cramped straight against my palm until I soaked them in hot water and then iced my arms, which felt like they were receiving high-voltage shock treatments.

Yep, I know: gather smaller rocks. Not going to happen as they have to be of a certain size or they look too small. If I can pick it up and put it into the truck, it's the right size. If I can't pick it up, it's too big, and if I can pick it up and toss it into the truck, it's too small. The good news is that the rest of the rocks are just on the next street, so I'll pick them up tomorrow morning and finish the last little bit of Project I.

In a few days, after I'm less sore than I am tonight, I'll start Project II, the strip that runs parallel to the driveway. I need to create a border, bring in some sand from somewhere, and then plant a hedge that should be a screen by next spring. Project III is doing the same process along the dog run fence. Project IV is cleaning up the oleander along the last side of fence. It's doing much better with all the rain we've had, but I need to remove what's dead to give what's coming in anew a chance to grow.

Then, I have to hire help to install the watering system and figure out the patio area I've designed. So far, I've spent $150, so doing well on budget due to the cheap self-labor!