Love Is Key

1st John 3:17-18 - But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?  Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.  Be intentional and do acts of love and kindness.

 
From The Hobbit, what Gandalf states.

Grace, Mercy, Love, Forgiveness - Why do we judge and condemn those who sin against us, and are impatient with those who are weak and have failed us, while we ourselves are just as guilty.  Love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness,  we neglect to give others, but are most in need of ourselves.

Saturday 6/13 - The past few days I had noticed swelling at the tendons along the side of my knee (where I had been kicked by a horse twelve days earlier), so during a break in yard work, I went to Linnea's (my nurse friend) to have her look at it and advise.  Thankfully, it is just muscle tissue damage (which needs plenty of more time to heal) and is nothing worse.

My next project was fixing the drainage ditch on the left side of our driveway, where the mailbox is.  

We had run a 4" black drain pipe in the steep ditch on the other side and filled with rock, and really liked the look and ease of maintenance.  So I wanted to do something similar on this side.  Notice my new garden kneeler (green thing) that also flips over and becomes a seat.  Thanks for the gift Joe.  


To attach more drain pipe to the section under the drive, I had to dig out all the rock from this side.












It was a long process.  Lots of gravel from the street had washed down into this area.  I saved, in several white buckets and raked aside the good looking stone to put back on top when finished.

I finally got down to the pipe.  There was plenty of leaves and mud that had washed to this end from the open hole (I had a screen over it but it would get moved out of place) on the other (mailbox) side of the drive.  So I removed all of that gunk.








I was not able to pull the whole pipe out from under the drive without digging out the trench a lot more, so decided to just cut it with my utility knife.



With that done, I connected two new, long sections of pipe and slid them through the culvert under the drive.  Here you can see the new piece with the connector end ready to be attached to where I had cut the other one.







Then I filled in the large hole with big rocks to secure the pipe down in the bottom of the ditch and to be able to fill in with small rock.









I got it all filled back in, but will need more rock to finish this side so it is up to the level of the driveway.

Now I was ready to turn my focus to the other side of the driveway where the black drain pipe was now coming out from under it.

I moved the border blocks, messing with them awhile to get them to fit in a good looking way, and to be easy to mow along.






I dug the trench deeper and filled it in with gravel which I swept up from along side the road.  I also added big rocks to fill the hole around the drain pipe.





I had to cut the mangled end off of a drain pipe I had scavenged from a roadside dumping spot and for some reason decided to use scissors.  Mistake, utility knife was the better tool.





I continued digging out the ditch and filling with gravel from the road to go the length of drain pipe I had.








I started to fill gravel in along the sides of the pipe (so it will also act like a french drain) but accidentally dislodged the pipe so had to redo some of my work.  This is when I started using some border blocks to hold the pipe down in place.







The ducks followed me down to the creek at one point when I went down back to get some more big rocks.





I had poured the small rocks out of the two buckets at the end of the drive to put on top of the drain pipe, so switched to just one bucket.  Since I moved my car into the garage, this will make it easier to come and go because I just have to move the little rock holding the orange warning tape and slip past the bucket. 

Sunday 6/14 - The blogger site I used had finally switched to it's new program, which it had been warning me it would do.  Well I was having too many difficulties making the transition, got frustrated, and gave up.  I had things to do outside anyway.
The landscape place opened at noon and I wanted to get ready for a few loads of landscape rock.  First I finished digging the ditch the length of my pipe, and filled in under the pipe with gravel.  The red at the end of the pipe is a coffee can I had poked holes in and stuck in there to keep out large debris but allow water to seep in.

At the steep end of the ditch I started putting gravel along the sides of the pipe, while it was weighted down with border blocks, and then put dirt on top of that. 

I decided the incline of the border blocks was too steep so I worked out a solution to make them come down the hill at a more gradual slope.

I put two border blocks under the top row (circled in pink), with the first one right beside the black drain pipe.  This would also help hold the weight of the block on top of the pipe.









At this point I was ready for the small rock.  I had helped Joe hook up Brian's trailer and sent him with rock samples for what I wanted.
 
Landscape Solutions was out of the exact rock to match, but I had Joe go ahead and bring another similar rock that would go under a second load of the matching rock once the store had it back in stock.








Joe parked in the street and I hauled eight bucket loads of rock to start filling in at the culvert.  I wanted to be careful with the placement of rock next to the border blocks, and be sure the landscape tarp stayed in place.

Then I had Joe back the trailer so that one tire was on this board and the other on the road, so we wouldn't leave tire dents on the driveway, which was still fairly soft, especially in the heat of the day.


Unloading rock went much quicker, and I was thankful for Joe's help with this.




Then I got back to work, hauling dirt to continue filling in over the gravel along the drain pipe. 



I got distracted at one point and brought some rocks up from a pile I had down back, and started on a border between the landscape rock and where I was going to put mulch within the bed.








More dirt needed to be hauled to the ditch to better fill it in, but I had a 'date' with Joe.




We got carry-out Dominos Pizza and went to Centennial Park to enjoy a picnic dinner.  I grabbed a tire out of Shadden Tire's trailer and then we went to Lowe's to buy mulch, grass seed, and two bushes.






We still had the trailer hooked up to bring the 25 bags home.  It was after 8pm by the time we had everything unloaded, and then I did some watering.

I was feeling exhausted and rather sore by the time I hit the hay at 9:30.

Monday 6/15 - my morning photo of the ditch shows it better without the spotted sunlight confusing the image.  The rock also looks nicer hosed down.





I discovered a way to get back to the old Blogger program, and got caught up on blogging.  However, I did not linger at my computer any longer than necessary so I could get going on work out front.

Some bags of mulch, and Preen, were ready to get put along the sidewalk.  But then I decided to finish the ditch out along the street.  So I continued hauling loads of dirt from this pile.



Joe mowed in front, so I had him bag it.  Then I spread the clippings out to dry so I could used them when I put down grass seed.

You can see the tire I had gotten, which I washed for possible use in my cattery.


I got further distracted out front with the road and slope of the land to our ditch.  Over the years gravel, debris, weeds and grass have built up along the edge, making it difficult for the water to drain off the side of the street.  This may be part of the reason why it runs down the road to our driveway and down our drive.



So I scraped up, mostly gravel but also the debris, weeds, and grass along the side of the road.  I hauled multiple bucket loads down back.




Finally, exhaustion, rain, and the dinner time all hit at once, and I called it quits for the day.  Mulching and seeding would have to wait.  With what energy I had left, I did some household chores before relaxing here at my computer, watching a show Britney got me hooked on.

Tuesday 6/16 - It was another full day of yard work.  I started early (9ish) and ended late (6ish) as I have the past several days.  When looking at the above photo of the road, I decided to shave just a little more of the edge off where I had left a spot of grass growing out in the shoulder.  I got these final three bucket loads of gravel and hauled them down back.




Meanwhile, Joe and Maggie did their usual routine of sitting in the sun on the back deck before it got too hot.  It was actually fairly cool out, most of the day. 








Once finished with the edge of the road, I then hauled dirt to complete my ditch work and fill in bald spots on the hill along the road. 


I also filled in this area by the drive, and the dip where the gas line was put in (where I had also dug a hole, recently checking the underground drain pipe).  I ran out of dirt before getting this whole area filled in.








I leveled and raked smooth the spot where the pile of dirt had been by the sidewalk, and then started seeding all these bare areas.














The next step was to cover all the seed with grass clippings.  This was a slow moving job because the grass had not completely dried, so had to be 'fluffed' so it could be dispersed in a light coat over the seed.

Evidently, the rock to match what we have (Pickwick River Rock) has been discontinued.  Joe even looked around, calling several stores that carry landscape stone.









So I had to revise my design plan somewhat.  I hauled several bucket loads of the decorative rock from the mailbox side of the drive, over to the other side, to finish filling that section in.  The second trailer load of rock will go over the top of this whole section so it all looks the same.



Finally I started work on mulching.  This is all the farther I got done. 

I never get as much done as I would like, but usually feel good about what I have accomplished.  And the key is, I love working in the yard, it gives me great satisfaction.


Wednesday 6/17 - I slept horribly, waking after three hours, then reading much of the night, and napping twice until daybreak.  I only got a total of not quite five hours of sleep.  I was lacking energy and motivation big time.  It was cold outside, and the house was plenty cool also.

The cats were curled up in their cold weather sleeping positions.



I went on a 'rock hunting' mission and found the closest match at the Feed Store in town.  I dropped by Food city and Patty's on the way home.




Once home, I watered all the newly seeded areas, which I will do twice a day until it all germinates.  I noticed this spot that had been disturbed.  Hope the critter didn't eat too much of the seed.

Out on the deck, I enjoyed lunch, reading the book I have gotten captivated by, and taking an hour nap.  It was a tad cool and not real sunny, perfect for sitting outside.


I was finally energized and motivated to get some work done in front, and needed to get it ready for the final (second) load of landscape rock.
 








I had started this little border wall of larger, flat rocks to divide the rocks from the mulch, so finished it.  I had to go back down to the creek to hunt for a few more good retaining rocks.  I started adding mulch to the other side of the wall.  It is shaping up and I am ready for the rest of the landscape rock.


Once Joe was home and rested from golf, I had him cut these bushes down with the Sawzall.  I have been trying to get them to look nice, but had no luck.  So Joe cut them to the ground.








I hauled off all of the branches, raked up all the exposed fall leaves, and weeded this bed.  A tree guy will be removing the big maple which sadly, has died.



You can see the bark coming off of it at the base.  And when you look up - this is what you see.









The tree man suspected it was killed by Red Ants that get in through the roots and work on the inside of the tree.  It just seems strange that it was alive and appeared well last summer.  Like a house, a yard is constant up-keep.

Thursday 6/18 - I had taken a pain relief sleep aid and slept great, nine hours non-stop.  But I woke late in the day (6:30) and was a tad groggy even though I felt well rested.  Babe in the hammock.

I had a work meeting at the CCC, to go over new pool rules and procedures as we adapt to being open and safely operating during a pandemic.





Joe arrived with a trailer load of River rock shortly after I got home.  We were soon spreading rock over the existing rock, on this side of the drive.  I wanted to raise the level up to the drive, and make it all the same type of rock.





We had more rock than needed, so I just left a pile that I will move to the drain pipe down by the garage once I figure out how the water is going to drain into that area.






I was concerned that the new rock was the wrong order because it was very yellow looking.  But once it was washed off it looked redder and appeared to match the other side of the drive a lot better.  With rock covering this whole area, it all looks uniform now.



With the rock work all done, I decided a planter on this side was definitely necessary.  But then I looked at the other side and decided I could move the flower pot from off the concrete encasement for the water shut off valve and put a planter farther up on the berm to match the mailbox side.





As usual, I got sidetracked on this other flower bed because I was moving some bigger rocks to the berm and decided to mulch and put a rock in this little section containing Crape Myrtle and Rose of Sharon, and in front of the rock a little Hydrangea.





When I had picked up this big rock, underneath it was a gazillion Red Ant eggs and plenty of ants trying to move them as quickly as possible. They got sprayed with an insecticide.

As I was finishing up work out front, Karen called me and needed me to help her rescue a big turtle that had gotten turned over in a ditch along Peavine.  She picked me up and we set out looking for the turtle.  Evidently, some other animal lover had moved the turtle, or it was able to get itself off it’s back and continue on its way.

It was another unremarkable evening, like most, with some computer time and reading.

Friday 6/19 - Patty called me at 7:30 because she had found planters that I could put out front.  I had given her a heads up that I was looking for a couple because she’s the garage sale / estate sale queen and I thought she might see something.  Well she did.

I went to pick out the planters and saw this very cute rain gauge (I have needed) so I also bought it.  I added some gravel from the street to the base of it to help anchor it and weigh it down, I cleaned up the glass collecting tube, and I put her right out front for now.  A photo of the planters will be provided once they are full of flowers.

Waaahhh!  While starting a load of laundry, I broke the water level knob off on my washing machine.

I decided to add towels to the sheets that were in, so needed to raise the water level.  The load had already started and was locked in at 'small' load, but I tried forcing the dial.  There’s no fixing it or even using pliers to turn it.  So it is stuck on small load water level until the Maytag guy comes out.  And I am always telling Joe "don't force it" when he is trying to fix something.  Uggghhh!


I moved the little tire behind my computer because I had put the squishy cat pad in the laundry.  I wanted to see how I liked it back there.  It doesn't hide all the cords.  But Monita was quick to check it out.



A few days earlier I had Joe help me make a small adjustment to the ladder on the wall.  It was too straight up and down for the cats to climb easily.  So we moved the metal brackets to widen the gap so that the steps are farther out from the wall.  We also had to redo the bottom shelf.  The ladder sticks out in the room more, but will be easier and safer for cats to climb.

Stevie gave it a go.  This last step up to the top is the hardest because the top is right against the wall.  I will put a 'grab bar' piece of wood sticking up on the flat surface to see if that helps.


I spent all morning in the house (after my quick garage sale trip), mostly here at my computer, but also breaking the washing machine, re-making the bed, and pacing from room to room.  It sprinkled a few times and there was some thunder, so I was undecided about yard work, although I did go out and water grass seed.  Here is an update on my oweee.  The skin is now healed, but there is still a knot above the kick mark.

It was pouring down rain as I was eating a late lunch on the porch and Joe left for a six day poker playing / camping trip in Illinois with his buddies.  I had gone out with an umbrella while it poured, to watch how the water was running off the road, our drive, and the sidewalk.



Once it finished pouring down rain, I checked my new rain gauge (and texted Patty to get a comparison), both read almost ½ inch.

It was too wet to do much outside, so I watched some videos here at my computer, read the paper, and worked some number puzzles.

I had been invited and decided to join a group at Reds for karaoke.  There comes a time when mental health and happiness take precedence over the risk of contracting Covid-19.  As I head out to Reds, I hope it isn't overly crowded and that I do not regret this decision to go have some fun.  I know there are basically three varying view points on re-opening businesses.  (1 - Don't do it, stay home.  2 - Be careful, follow all safety guidelines, proceed with caution.  3 - Throw all caution to the wind, go do what you want, enjoy life.)  I am a #2 mostly.  We all have varying view points on this and on so many other issues.  I pray that God gives us courage as we go about these days, that we would be gracious to one another and be patient with the way life has changed.  We all need to practice love, because it is the key.  I think this (song) "Where is the Love?" by The Black Eyed Peas is once again, or still, very relevant.
You all take care now.  God bless and protect you.