Exhausting For Two Old People

 Yesterday was a good day, but an exhausting one, especially for my husband.

 There is a drainage pipe that goes from the eaves of our house, underground, and carries rainwater from our eaves and downspouts to the very back of the yard.

It helps to keep our house high and dry,

but it had to be extended, so it was necessary to dig about a 40 foot trench in order to lay the extended pipe.  

 My husband dug and dug and pick axed and shoveled dirt until I thought he would collapse,

but he wanted this done prior to the backyard being done so that he would not have to make a mess once all of the new dirt had been added.

 When I saw how exhausted he was I went out and helped dig, and I am not very adept at digging trenches, but I truly thought he might just collapse in the afternoon heat.

 When the equipment driver saw how exhausted we both were and that we were no longer making headway, he shut off the equipment and completed digging the final few feet for us.

 Thank goodness!

 The fill dirt is now done, as is the top soil, but there is another area of the yard that was simply too wet from all of the rain we have had, so they will be back in a couple of days to do that...

the weather forecast shows no rain this week.

You better not be lying to us Mother Nature!!!

Beep Beep Said The Heavy Equipment

About that back yard dirt project.

Well, I can't remember having such a wet autumn since moving to Virginia in 2007,

 So the MUD er, I mean DIRT project is taking a whole lot of time,

 and after a quick rain shower this morning, they have come back and will be bringing at least another three loads of dirt.

Once it's all in and shoved around here and there in the yard,

 then a little bit of top soil will top things off so hopefully we can get some grass seed in,

and THEN

the paving of the driveway can begin.

The last photo is what the yard looked like prior to them coming this morning. There is a ravine down where you see those orange leafed trees that requires a few loads of fill dirt so that a fence can span the back of the yard.

*sigh*

Some dry weather would sure be nice so that the pups can once again run in the back yard.

NOT letting their paws out there into the mud, that's for sure!

Beep Beep Beep, the sound of heavy equipment as it backs up the hill.

Dirty Girl Day

 When we purchased our home we knew that the day would arrive when this would take place.

 We hired a dirt/excavation company to come in and even though we had to wait for weeks after for the rain to stop, it's now happening.

 I spoke about this on a blog post a while back, about our 'Projects' list.

 *see.... I am stoked!*

 The incline of our backyard is ridiculously dangerous for old people, like us, to be stomping up and down, and I worry that my husband will tip over the riding lawnmower and be hurt,

 the pups LOVE rolling/scooting on their backs, down the hill, but we want it to be more people friendly.

 so the equipment was dropped off last night,

 and today the dirt fill begins!

 Yay RAH, Sis BOOM BAH too!

 Then we will seed it and cover with straw, which has also been delivered.

Good things take making a mess and also take time.

Can't wait for the end results!

Signing off for today...

Love,

The dirty girl.

In The Long Term

 We have a plan for our backyard, once we get dirt brought in to lessen the steep incline and make certain spaces more accessible to our aging knees.

It can be difficult climbing up the hill from the garden area to the seating area at the back of our home, but we intend to fix that.

 Do you have a long term yard plan?

Perhaps you want to add an area of clover to attract butterflies, or certain flowering bushes to attract hummingbirds and bees.

These additions to a yard not only make the yard a better experience for you, but also to the creatures in nature.

 The above photo is one sent to me by a friend who lives in the country, they have a pool and nearby a pergola that flowers in gorgeous purple wisteria each year.  I envy her pergola!

 *image from Pinterest*

This photo from Pinterest is similar to what her pergola looks like when the wisteria is not in bloom, it's completely shaded and a great place for sitting with friends, or on an evening with your husband.

Alone and lovely place to be.  A hideaway of sorts.

Love love love this pergola!

 *image from Pinterest*

Here is another pergola with wisteria... and by the way, wisteria is a fast grower, so one could attain this look in their yard within a couple of years.

This is similar to what I want, a stone surface with posts, but I want the top of the pergola a bit lower for a cozier seating experience.

Do you have a plan for your yard?

Vultures On The Hill

 When we purchased our home, the eaves all drained underground to a nicely done *ahem* drainage ditch and it all flowed downhill away from the house out into to a ravine in the wooded area of our property.

But, my husband wants this area of the yard leveled off and a pergola built at some point in the future, so he moved the original drainage ditch further away.

 *Izzy takes a slide down the hill*

 The downspouts/eaves, were still ending up here.... and the water would bubble up into the yard when the eaves were full of rainwater, so, he extended the drainage tubes and now all eave water goes down into the woods and joins up where the other drainage ditch empties out.

*if that doesn't make sense to you it really doesn't matter*

 It was about 30 feet from where the water bubbling up in the yard was, to the wooded area, and he spent a number of hours digging this trench and then laying the drainage hose,

 and then covering it all up again.

 *you will note that there are two vultures up on the hilltop*

 By the end of the day all was covered up with dirt and we are hoping that grass will grow back, although knowing my husband there will be another project in the future in this area with more digging...

These two did a fine job of supervising.... they certainly have enough practice at it!