The good life!

This has been a spectacular Spring. Not only do I have high hopes for the vegetable garden, sprinkled with a couple inches of Mother Nature's unique liquid nourishment, but I have had some fun in other gardens as well.

All the rain has left the ground feeling like actual dirt, rather than hard concrete. My measly strength was enough to coerce the weeds out of their comfort zone. Love wet weather for that reason.

Earlier this week, the weather was cloudy and cool, perfect for working outside. I spent the morning tidying up the garden immediately in front of the house.

A couple years ago I thought it might be nice to add some Vinca to the flowers there. Hah, bad idea; the Vinca had taken over. That stuff sure grows well around here. If I hadn't pruned it last fall, I'm sure it would have walked in the front door and confiscated my favorite easy chair by now. So, as much as I hate doing away with anything that grows, I decided the Vinca just had to go. The best way to be rid of it, short of poison, which I abhor, is to just pull it out. It took hours, but that is just what I did.

Reclaiming this tiny little space and planting a few flowers in it, was the result of a hard day's work. I just love using our many, many, many rocks to actually serve a purpose--lining flower beds. 

There was also another part to this project. Just to the right of the garden is a tiny water feature. There were a couple giant plants that had to be transplanted because the pond was completely obscured from the porch. I cleaned out the area also and planted a few flowers. 

This little water feature has a waterfall and makes the most lovely music which provides the perfect ambient sound for pondering on the porch. That Nandina in front of the pond is one of two that I transplanted. Thanks to the rain we've been getting, the plants didn't suffer from transplant shock at all. It had previously been right where that 'duck crossing' sign is posted.

Our pond is home to a new resident frog, a happy, noisy little guy.

The final act for my days of outside fun included burning some leaves, twigs, and other yard debris, including some of that Vinca. I built a little fire pit, which is basically a ring of rocks placed on bare ground, a while back and had been filling it with small branches that had fallen out of the trees, and other similar yard waste. There was an old grapevine wreath and the remains of a half whiskey barrel that had seen better days that I threw in there as well.

The other day, I lit the fire, but not until I made sure my new kink-free hose (yeah, we'll see how that goes?) was ready to go, just in case. The fire burned all day. At times I coaxed it along a bit, raking leaves into place and stirring things around a bit. I love burning. There is just something about a good fire.

I love living in the country and being able to efficiently dispose of yard debris. The ash will go great in the compost pile and will one day help the flowers grow.

This morning I finished up an epic task--cutting the lawn. After a quick trip to the grocery store/gas station, I filled the lawn tractor tank and set out to make it look a little more livable around here.

There is no better season than Springtime and nothing feels better than sprucing things up a bit and working outside. There is still plenty to do, but this work is good work. I just love living in the country!