Tuesday

It was chilly Tuesday morning, but warmed up to be a beautiful, sunny day.

I went to the Sherwin Williams store at lunch and bought two gallons of paint for the shed. I bought their “better” brand that is supposed to last 25 years. They cost me a fortune!

From there I went to Home Depot and bought two more bags of garden soil, one of potting soil and a 10-inch clay pot. I didn’t have time to go home and eat, so I got a quarter pounder with cheese meal at McDonalds and ate it driving back to work.

I went home at 5:00 PM, hoping to see this “tag” saying my shed was approved. But, I didn’t see anything on the shed (I’m so dumb, sometimes). So, I changed clothes and got to work.

First I planted my new peony. I moved the mulch away, cut an “X” in the landscape fabric and then dug out the dead sod. I filled the hole in with my magic planting mix and watered it. Then I planted the peony. I put the mulch back and stuck in the ring. The ring came from the back, where one of my two peonies that I planted two years ago died over the winter.

I was walking back to get more water when I saw the yellow inspection tag, stuck on the picture window over the Building permit. Duh! Oh, well, my shed is legal!!!

Next, I moved the spirea bush It was starting to crowd the arbor vitae. So, I repeated the peony planting process, but making a much bigger hole. I also skipped putting a ring around it.

I filled in the old hole and then mulched around it. I was going to go out in the back and dig out the three roses. The honeysuckle vines are choking them out. Note: I know this is not the right time to be moving things, but the English garden didn’t exist last Fall.

But, my neighbor called me over to the fence and asked about the inspection. I told him we were good! He introduced me to his father, who is visiting for a few days.  As expected, Rick said he had just finished planting his garden and had a few things left over. He said he had some butternut squash and tomatoes. I told him I didn’t have room for the squash and already planted my tomatoes. Then I asked what kind of tomatoes? He said he had six Big Boys and two Roma. Roma tomatoes? The Italian ones I couldn’t find! I said I’d take the two Roma.

Luckily, I had two tomato cages left from before I made the tomato trellis. So, I planted the tomatoes (instead of digging up roses). Tammy, my neighbor’s wife, came over and chatted with me while I worked. I got out the cages and put them in place. Finally, I dragged out the hose and watered the entire vegetable garden. When I reeled the hose back in, I watered the raised bed herb garden as well.

I got out the electric blower and blew off all the maple seeds from the patio (they have been building up). Then I put the dill plant I had bought a while back into the 10-inch clay pot. I think I mentioned before that planting dill in the raised bed garden last year was a mistake. The wind just blew it over and broke it. So, I hope that having it in the pot, sheltered from the wind by the raised bed, will allow it to grow successfully this year.

I went in to wash my hands and it was already 8:30 PM! So, I quit for the night. I warmed up some brats and sweet corn and ate that for dinner. I watched a little TV, but went to bed early again.