It’s Saturday afternoon. I just got in from another 4-hour stint in the back yard – you guessed it! – shovelling gravel to fill in the labyrinth. It’s over half done! And way behind schedule. It should have been done by now. But I’ve been procrastinating. I can’t blame the weather; we’ve actually had some summer-like sunshine over the past two weeks. Well, I could blame the weather since I’m utterly useless when it’s hot out, but, honestly, it hasn’t been that hot.
I think – no, I know – that it’s because once the this phase of the labyrinth is done, everything else is going to start costing money. Money, I don’t have at my disposal at the moment. (Sigh...)
I priced out the pickets and rails for the fence, which should be the next big thing to get done. It’s going to cost about $1000 by the time all is said and done. Not gonna happen this year. (Sigh...) I might spring for the bobcat to come and put in the posts. But first I have to get the gutters fixed (yes, the new ones), get my tire fixed and get an oil change for Gracie. Then I can see what I can squeeze out of the budget for the bobcat. (Sigh...)
I’ve never built a fence before. I have no idea what to do – after the posts are in. I want/need a gate at the back and on the side of the house. I don’t know how to make them and I don’t have the tools to make them with even if I did. I keep waffling about adding a skill saw to my growing wish list, but every time I go to write it down, I cave. Sharp, spinning things scare the heck out of me. I’m rather proud of myself, though, for putting a cordless drill on the list. A drill I can handle, but it isn’t going to do much good when it comes to cutting pickets. Might come in handy for attaching them to the rails, but they have to be cut to size first. The entire issue remains moot anyway – at least until a grand magically appears in my bank account!
While I was shovelling a thought did occur to me. A thought that gave me hope and inspiration for continued progress. I was going to outline the labyrinth with bricks. Instead, I’m going to collect river rocks. They’re free. And I’m pretty sure I can talk Bizz into helping me collect them. She’s usually up for a stroll by the river. We can make a day – or two or three – out of it.
Once the labyrinth and the fence are done, the next phase is building a raised garden box across the back and down the side in front of the fence, filling it with dirt and planting something. Then I will need to haul in a bunch of top soil to spread around the labyrinth and plant grass. The strange bit of lawn that I do have will have to be blended in to the new lawn. I’m thinking I might have to spring for a better lawn mower too! I love my reel lawn mower, but that may change when there is more lawn to mow with it. It’s a work out and a half just doing what I have now.
I know what I want. We’ll see what I get!
In the meantime, there is still a lot of gravel that has to be moved out of the way. I can’t do the fence or the garden beds or the lawn until it all gets moved. (Sigh...) I expect I’ll have a pretty good set of pipes on me by the time this is done. Seriously? Who needs a gym membership? This home-ownership thing is providing plenty of exercise.
I’m going to relax now. Maybe whip up some mixed-berry creamsicles with cream cheese. That sounds like a plan!
