Mr. Pack Mule

While I was waiting for the soil, I started weeding the Fern Garden. I keep it moist, so the weeds thrive. I find weeding to be very satisfying work; I don’t mind doing it at all. In just a little time, I made the garden look much better. The Ferns, by the way, are looking glorious with new leaves they’ve grown since being transplanted.

Once this landscaping project is done, weeding will be one of the major maintenance tasks I have and that’s just fine with me.

The soil arrived nice and early. Six cubic yards is not a lot of soil, given the enormity of my yard. I’ve rationalized the cost of the soil, regardless of how much I use. It’s going to give the lawn a healthy base, hold more water in Spring and Fall and it’s an investment in my future happiness and the re-sale value of my property.

At 11:00 am, I put on my gloves, got out the wheelbarrow and trusty shovel and got to work spreading soil and seed on the first section of the yard. By 11:45 I was back indoors, sitting in front of a fan to cool and dry off. By 1:00 I was totally exhausted, but a rest, a drink, a toke and I went back to work—but not on the landscaping.

Kent, the owner of the local nursery who delivered the soil, suggested I rig up a cover for my pot pants so that the dew doesn’t get into the buds and develop mold. So that’s what I did after my second break from the landscaping. Now, every night, I can cover my Marijuana to keep it dry. (There’s no end of things to do around here.)

After completing that task, it was back to landscaping to earn my time in the spa. I fill the wheelbarrow with dirt in the front yard, delivering to, and emptying it in, the backyard. And repeat. And repeat. Sweat showered off of me.

By 3:30 Mr. Pack Mule was ready for the stable. I stopped, had some cookies for energy and went back to it for another hour after ordering another load of soil to be delivered tomorrow morning. 

It was great to stop, shower and get into the spa—and to go to bed early after a good day’s work.

This morning it was easy to uncover the Marijuana plants and I can see the buds growing. Next, I’m going on the community dog walk. It’s a beauty of a day! And then, I’m going to finish laying the first load of soil today. I can hardly wait to get at it. The rain isn’t due until Sunday now, so I have all day tomorrow to work as well as today. I should be able to get quite a bit done in the next two days.

If the second load of soil is the last, and if the 2 ($60) bags of seed are the last I need, the entire backyard project will cost just under $1500. If I have to get a third load and more seed, the total will be two grand. That’s not bad for a whole (huge) backyard that’ll provide years of pleasure.