Big Saturday

Well...Saturday was a big day at our house. Or, as Dan's dad put it, "It's a big day in a man's life. Probably more important than his wedding day." (Yes, this is the family I married into.) Dan bought his first lawn mower!

His grandpa (who passed away when Dan was younger) owned a John Deere dealership and as a tribute to him Dan insisted on buying one. I appreciated his sincerity and we made it happen. Well...we were blessed in a huge way to make it happen.

Look at that mischievous grin - he's just itching for warm weather :)

And in a surprise move, we took care of the UGLY trees in our front yard! I was watching Dan enjoy his lawn mower when his dad said, "So should I go get my chainsaw?" I've been wanting the trees taken out since before we moved in, but wasn't expecting it to happen until later this summer! In my excitement I threw my laundry and bathroom cleaning responsibilities to the side to witness the big event :)

I understand the need for privacy, what with a glass front door and all. But have people ever heard of blinds???

Yeah, these bad boys are blocking my favorite architecture of the house!

And the chainsaw actions begins...

Getting closer...

Just the stumps...almost there...

AH! Our house, revealed!!!



I like it SO much better! It's so open!

Goodbye trees!

This used to be the view out the front door...

...but now this is what we see :)

On a landscape related note, I've been working hard on the flowerbeds. This weekend I'm taking measurements and pictures to a greenhouse to get a professional opinion on what shrubs, perennials and annuals will work best.

I'm still working on the back flowerbed :/ Just this weekend I put some ant killer down - but since it's not a spray kind that you can actually see it working, I'm having a hard time believing it was effective. I'll have to dig around and see if the ants are really gone. Once they are, I can rake out that bed, give it some new soil and life, and hopefully plant a few hydrangea shrubs!

Here's the front flowerbed, right next to the entryway of the house. I'm thinking evergreen shrubs against the house, then a layer of bulbs or taller perennials, then annuals along the front border. (Notice the old, red mulch. I haven't laid new topsoil down here yet, so it's still a bit ugly.)

Now here's my questions - can I plant flowering bulbs in the spring? Will they just naturally die off in the fall, then re-grow next spring? Or do I need to wait until fall to plant the bulbs...which would mean I would have to go a spring with a pretty sparse flowerbed :( I have SO many questions and I'm trying to figure it ALL out in my gardening impaired mind. I'm sure I'll feel a lot better after visiting a greenhouse this weekend.

Here's the side flowerbed that wraps around the front of the house - the dark soil is new topsoil that we've already put down.

This week is supposed to be warmer, but rainy :( That means not much outside work for this hard working duo. Dan's hoping to lay his epoxy flooring in the 3rd stall...which has to happen for him to get his table saw...which has to happen for him to build the new end tables...to go with the new couch and oversized chair that are being delivered on SATURDAY! We still haven't had any craigslist bites for our old furniture, so it looks like we'll be donating it. The ottoman and recliner won't come probably for another month or so :( But since the furniture is so big, maybe it's good that it's coming in installments :) It'll give me a chance to adjust so I don't go into shock!

I slept in like a lazy bum and didn't run OR do my devos this morning. I feel sad and out of sorts. Tomorrow will be better!