There has been some gardening at the home place this weekend.  Lord have mercy on The Husband and me for our aching muscles and joints; the act of standing up will come with sound effects - pops, groans, and cusses - for the next few days.

If you got all the way to the end of my last post, you'll already know that we had new sidewalks and a driveway installed last week.  I wish I had a "before" picture to show you what a mess our yard was in these areas so you could fully appreciate the "after" picture. 

We weren't here when the work was being done, but watchful neighbors tell us that there were two dump trucks full of dirt/gravel in here one day, and two cement trucks the next. They brought a bobcat/dozer in and did some grading work in the back to try to re-direct the flood that has been coming across our back yard with every rain.  They dumped two scoops of dirt in the front yard, near the holes where teenage boys used to park their cars.   (Unfortunately, they did not spread it, just dumped it.)   They filled in the gullies to the left of the driveway.  

After work on Friday, I came straight home and got busy replanting the monkey grass we'd dug up (miles of it) in advance of the work.  I spent about three hours spreading dirt, dividing clumps of grass with a big knife, and planting them along the front sidewalk.  When The Husband came home and told me the workers were coming back Monday to remove the wooden forms from the sides of the walkway, I dropped my shovel with the job half done.  Tomorrow, they'll probably tromp down what I've already planted, but I doubt the monkey grass will care.

I went around back to re-plant the hosta and narcissus, but there were forms there, too, and I would really prefer that the hosta not get tromped.  I piled it up and watered the heap, hoping it'll survive another day or two out of the ground.  I may pitch the narcissus over the hill.  They were getting on my nerves, anyway.

Yesterday and today, we hauled wheelbarrows of stepping stones, shoveled and raked dirt, moved concrete fountains and planters, re-arranged patio furniture, fought wasps, sawed down trees, picked up sticks, filled up citronella torches...and there's still loads of work to do once those forms come off.

But I got to park my Jeep in a nice, clean spot this evening.  :)