Grandma G, Grandma G....
Quite extraordinary....
How does your garden grow?
WHAT GARDEN???
MY PEBBLE YARD?
I have been looking at this out my livingroom window for 2 and 1/2 years
Time to upgrade....
Oh, yah!!The journey....well, the project...started 2 weeks ago.....the planning and researching has been going about 8 months....
How does a strength-challenged Grandma G economically transform a pebble yard into a PNW green space that doesn't have to be mowed....short of raising goats to graze there? (Big business in Portland...)
Since you asked....here goes the journey...and the questions to be resolved...
How to remove the rocks? What to do with them?
How to obtain fertile, viable dirt?
What about the useless "weed barrier" lining the entire yard?
WHO will do all this? What will "all this" cost?
Can I do this NOW so there are a few weeks for plants to settle?
Who will water for me while I am away on my "Midwest tour"?
How does one grow a green space that doesn't need to be mowed?
What will grow in mostly full sun?
Will the weather be agreeable?
Who has a wheelbarrow I can borrow?
Where will Gram G get the energy to do all this?
Will she have time to BLOG? (Obviously she didn't)
Will she have time to garden while keeping up with socializing?
Will she have time to visit the friendly local dentist a few times?
First it's off to various nurseries to see what is available for what cost. (This was combined with "hanging with friends" on several occasions.)Then it's browsing stores for discount and half price accessories...
Asking Jake and Zach if they are willing to shovel dirt for Gram...
Was Jake available and willing during his spring break to work?
It was also measuring the length and width of the desired yard.
Finally it was time to call (at the suggestion of a friend) a local recycling company to see if they have dirt and do they deliver....for how much....and how much dirt do I need? The speaker thought 1 cubic yard would do it, plus $40 for delivery. But, hey, I like a bargain so I said how about 2 cubic yards since there will be other projects in the future and then no further delivery charges....
Then to see if the neighbor was willing to let them dump the dirt in HIS driveway since it lined up nicely to my backyard.
And back to the store to buy a tarp to dump the dirt on....
Yeah....all the info was lined up...only one problem remained....
Did I, Grandma G, have the imagination, gumption, energy and motivation to start AND finish this little green space project?
April 10... Friday morning...actually afternoon 12:05. (The dirt company gave a 3 PM time for dumping.) I was off to pick up Jake about a 25 minute drive from here. We arrived back here at 1PM....Just in time to see a big, o honkin truck drive past my house.... driver said he was close by and "who doesn't like to get off work early"? Is it OK to dump the dirt right now?
(trees and red bush belong to the neighbors...)
Loading dirt into Grandma Carole's rusty antique wheelbarrow....across the wooden bridge....
Two loads down.....HOW many more to go?????
OOPS......this project is now interrupted because of a broken, rusty antique wheelbarrow.... Sorry, Grandma Carole....Jake and Gram G are off to buy a new one.....
And assemble the
new one....
While Gram is off to figure out how to put air into a WB tire...
with the help of willing stranger and friendly attendant....
Almost a full yard of DIRT.....
Jake, one more small project.....
a hole in the back for my
lonesome pine.....
Night comes....rain is threatening....Jake's folks take him home...though there is still a mound of dirt in the neighbor's yard... cover it with another tarp....there is a promise of returning in the morning to move what amounts to 1 cubic yard of dirt remaining....what to do with it????
Grandma G is seen planting WHAT in the cover of darkness?
Check back tomorrow .......
This has been a good "recalling green space creating" day in the life of Gram G.
"And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."
(Genesis 2:3)
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