But first things first, a little garden maintenance and club house repair were in order.
No big deal... I'll find the club house stain, and splash on a fresh coat. Easy Peasy!
Well, not quite. The bottom deck flooring had become warped and had to be entirely replaced (thanks hon!) AND cleaned out as a few rabbits had taken up residence.
Adirondack chairs from inside the club house had to be scrubbed clean. Check!
That ol' black bistro table and chairs sitting on the lower deck had been bleached white from sprinkler water and searing Texas sun. No problemo. Four cans of grey primer and four cans of bright blue paint later, they're fresh as a daisy!
And those raised beds that we built two years ago for flowers and veggies (my potager)? Bug infested and rotting. Sheesh. Well, the veggies didn't fare too well with my "friend" Peter Rabbit in the garden, so I guess those might as well be ripped out.
While I'm at it, why not re-style the garden beds and plan for a path down to the back gate? Between lawn disease that started four years ago, weeds that grew in it's place, and the running path of two border collies, it's time to improve that area anyway. Won't it be nice to have a gravel pathway that ends by the back gate at the perky bistro table, under the shade of the oak trees? What a lovely place for a spring-time lunch! And the lawn area will actually be a pretty, curvy shape that will look nice from the upper deck of the house.
oooooh ooooooh, and I want to leave room for a stock tank fish pond and sitting area where my poor and pathetic potager garden will soon be history. I love the idea of raising water lilies, and perhaps a few fish. For my inspiration, see Pam Penick's stock tank pond. It will be seen from the back deck, office window, and the clubhouse. Hmmm, what will it look like once those same border collies have figured out they have a new swimming pool to splash around in?
As you might be able to see in the photos, I've scratched the dirt with a shovel to mark where the path will go (minus the metal edging, of course), ending in a roundish area of gravel/flagstone at the table. You can also see the expansion of the garden bed. I will have to bring in quite a few yards of garden soil, as the ground near the back fence is rock hard... literally, it's one inch of soil, and then limestone rocks. I'm thinking of putting the tank pond where the sun dial is currently. What do you think?
It's now Sunday morning. That quick paint and repair job has led me to a redesign of half of my backyard and an entire springtime of hard labor and installation.
Can't wait to get started!!
