A prof friend and I were checking out an old lake bed, now tiled and farmed, located up northwest of Ames. It was on the way to our destination - the confluence of the Boone and the Des Moines River. She wanted to show me the lake bed and the remnant oaks that once encircled the bowl that held this ancient body of water.

Heading back to the highway, she spotted this snapper from the gravel road; it was sliding across the top of an embankment of a channelized stream. We had to have a closer look and get some fotos, so we pulled on our muck boots and crossed the ditch.

We finally decided that she was probably laying her eggs. The muddy smear and disturbed soil across the ridge was a strong clue. When I got home, I googled the turtle, and sure enough, it was a snapper...and the females lay their eggs in June. Good to know she is right on schedule.

The New Porch

Nope.






















Nope.

















Bingo!

Singing Grass Clippers

I went looking for these old grass clippers; they were a present from my mother way back when I first moved to Friley Road and became the "garden mother". I finally found them at the bottom of my tool bucket in the shed. Yikes! They were rusty and dull and did not sing so beautifully. I spent a good hour cleaning, oiling, and sharpening this pair of Drummer Boy clippers from Burgon +Ball LTD, Sheffield, England. There is music once again when the grass needs a trim!

Summertime...

Allee of Eastern White Pine

Five tool boxes full of tools....sorted by type.

Done!

The New Newly-Used Barrow

In an earlier post, I had written about this new used wheelbarrow that my daughter brought home last fall from the neighbors up the street. It had been set out on the curb and she knew I would love this funky green, so she wheeled it home. She was right, I loved it. It had a flat tire, but with a little air it would be good as new.

I pulled it out from under the pine tree this spring and set about getting the tire repaired. First I had to remove the flat tire. Then a quick trip to the farm store where I purchased the services of the mechanic on duty. He installed a new tube, re-aligned the rim which had pinched the old tube, and sent me on my way. Expense for tire R&R = $7.99.
My labor = 1 hour
This was a perfect barrow for the upcoming project of hauling pavers to reset around the yard. The only trouble was that the old handles were just that....old. One bounce down the steps and the handle broke from the weight in the tub. Once again, I had a funky green barrow that was out of service.

O.K. Do I continue down this road and repair it, or forget it and just enjoy the green from afar? I thought I could replace the handles. But those wedge/shims presented more of a problem. I would price the handles and then make a decision. I also looked at comparably-sized barrows. Cost Range $39-$49.

By the time I bought the hardware, the handles, and had the wedges cut, I was looking in the price range of a new barrow. Plus, I had to do the repair myself. However....the new barrows have absolutely no character...black plastic tub, generic barrow. This was an easy decision....buy the handles ($14.99 each); size the hardware and purchase ($3); and purchase 2x4s, then find someone to cut the wedges ($2.42). Total Expense for parts = $35.42. My Labor = 2.5 hours.
This above foto doesn't really capture the adventure in getting this thing disassembled. I knew I had a hacksaw somewhere (garbage sales are great for picking up old tools). I finally found it in the bottom of an old tool box (garbage sales are great for picking up old tool boxes to store those old tools). After about one hour of sawing rusted bolts in 95 degree weather, I was rethinking my decision to redo the barrow. Never one to back down from a challenge, I took a break, then went back in for the final tussle. Praise the Lord! I finally cut thru the last of 6 rusty bolts.
My Labor = 1.75 hours...#@!%&*(@!

So this is how I spent yesterday afternoon when the rain set in. I opened up the garage for a nice breeze and good light, then set to work on the funky green barrow.
Dewey was providing encouragement and support along the way.
Done. Ready for a test run.
It works!! but I can see from this angle that I might need to move the wheel back a few inches and then shorten the handle ends. Maybe another day.
Ready for action.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Worth It!

This is a foto of the new shade garden, a hosta bed, that I finished over the weekend. Twenty years ago when I planted this front garden, it received full sun. Now the trees and shrubs have grown and they shade several beds. It was time to clean things up and make it fresh again.

I forgot how hard this physical labor can be on a body. Four years of school has zapped my strength and endurance for this kind of work and after a couple of days of intense gardening, I soon realized I may be past my prime for this down-and-dirty gardening. It nearly killed my body. My knees are sore and creaking, both of my arms go numb when I sleep, and I am so tired....But I got 'er done and it was worth it!

Early Saturday morning, somewhere between sleep and wake, I remembered that I had a garden tiller in the back of my shed. It had not been used in years, but I was anxious to get it out and give it a try. The thought of hand-digging the entire new bed - close to 100 ft in length and 2-5 ft in width - left me a little less enthusiastic about this project. Once I wrestled the tiller out of the shed, I checked the oil, added some gas and Sea Foam (a miracle engine elixir!), and pulled the cord. It actually sputtered to life, then died. Directions on the engine indicated that I needed to not only give it choke, but also move the toggle over to the jackrabbit, away from the tortoise. Once I did that, the engine roared to life.

Oh joy of joys. This machine was going to make all the difference in my attitude about this project. I tilled along one side, then turned and tilled along the backside, then up through the middle. And then I did all that again. Tiny pieces of sod lay on top of the black soil, so I got out the rake to clean and level out the bed. If I had done all that by hand, I would still be turning forkfuls.

Once the lawn was gone, I cleaned up the edge with my dandy Smith and Hawkens edger. Then I got busy resetting the pavers back in along the new edge. It was beautiful...even without any plantings. I had about 40-50 hostas potted up, so I started in the back with the taller ones, then planted the shorter ones with the shortest down in front. I laid out drifts of color and leaf shape and textures. Once the plants acclimate and start to fill in, it should be beautiful.

This was a 2-day project and by Sunday afternoon, I was exhausted. It had been a long day....I think I started in about 6:30 A.M. I put things away about 5 P.M. and gave every one of the transplanted hostas a thorough watering. When I finished, I climbed into the bathtub for a renewing, hot soak.

I still needed to mulch, but tomorrow would be another day. Rather than using cedar or cypress chips, I decided to try some prairie grass, or meadow hay. I had bought some last week to use in the veggie garden and was immediately impressed when I broke open the bale. It is beautiful stuff...reddish-purples, greens, and blues...with such a lovely fragrance. Reminds me of summer days on the farm, climbing up into a haymow filled with freshly-baled hay.

Neighbors were watching...and strolling by to check my progress. They think it is beautiful, but they also suggest that it is too much work. They obviously are not gardeners. I did not tell them that this is just the first half of the project. I still have the south portion of my lawn to lay out, till, edge, then plant. But first, I have to recover...and I am working on my plan. I have all summer to finish it, but already I am itching to get that tiller out and work magic in the garden.