Memorial Day

OK, first things first - this is one of the baskets we bought at the Farmers Market yesterday. Is anyone able to identify what it is? I think I can only call it my big freaking basket (that is also edible!) for so long before I will have to actually know its name.

Today was a day off from training, but there was still lots to be done around the house. We were up early and working on our projects by midmorning after a trip last night to the Home Cheepo for supplies.

First on deck was to cut out and landscape around my arbor and fix the clematis plants that were struggling there. This spring before we put in the hot tub, we noticed that this years snow and cold had started heaving the arbor out of the ground. not long after that, strong wind took it completely out of the ground and onto her side on the ground. We replanted the arbor on the other side of the patio a few weeks ago, a little deeper, a little smarter, and hopefully a lot more permanent. Mike and i cut and cleared the grass around it today, planted some new clematis plants around the straggly ones that were there already , accented with a couple of hostas, added some bark and Voila! - a masterpiece!

Next up was cutting a spot for a new rock garden. In 2 weeks construction starts on the road next to our house, widening the road and adding curb and gutter and sidewalk. One of the casualties of this is my rock garden which came in really nice for the first time this year. it was also where I buried my dog Rascal a couple years ago, so needless to say I have really not been feeling much like moving things. There is also the small matter of the HUGE boulders that are it's centerpiece- Three biguns that needed a backhoe to place in the first place.

Mike and I and the boys cut a new rock garden under the trees in the backyard. Not sure what kind of trees they are, just that they get cool strands of flowers in the spring and they have thorns all over them that bite you if you aren't careful. We cut the border and Mike wrangled with the rototiller like a rodeo rider, then we all worked to shovel and level the bed. Once that was done, I dug Rascal's ashes and headstone out of the old rock garden and moved it to the new one. Mike stripped a layer of landscape rock out of the old bed and moved it to the new one too as a base for our dog memorial. We are going to wait to move the flowers until we have a time frame from the city on when they are going to help us move the boulders. I don't want to replant anything in the new bed that might get run over when the boulders are moved so I might transplant them to pots and replant them after the move, but if I do it too soon I will probably kill them anyhow - my black thumb of death is well-known in these parts. Picture one is the old rock garden taken last year. The 3 big boulders in the middle are yet to be moved as are the plants. Picture 2 is of Rascal's new digs and where the boulders and flowers will get moved to someday soon.

I then worked a couple other miscellaneous flower projects, mostly replacing the butterfly bushes in the front yard and a couple other miscellaneous perennials that fell victim to a bitter cold few winter months.

I replaced the butterfly bushes in the front corners with Chinese willows (they are very pretty and get pink tips on their leaves as they grow) and added some lavender, salvia, and some others to the other front beds.

I thought I would share a couple pictures of the yard projects, since several of you that visit have wondered if the green stuff in our pictures is really grass. This is what Wisconsin looks like folks!

Below you will find a picture of my two nutjob dogs, doing what they do best - acting stupid for treats. I predict one or both of them will be yelled at in the near future for messing up part of or all of today's projects very soon.