Bedding Down

After a hectic and mentally stressful Friday dealing with the water issue, it was nice to have a good, old-fashioned day of hard manual labor on Sunday.

We have been needing to get the foundation planting beds tilled for a few weeks, but our elderly tiller has been rather uncooperative. Jeff has started the work on several different occasions and had to stop because of mechanical problems. Today was no different, but he persevered and made it happen!

I first copied the landscape plan onto the lawn with an inverted spray paint can.

Marking the beds.

After working on the tiller for a while to get the pull cord repaired and installed, and then working more to get the tiller to start, Jeff's progress was interrupted when the cable to the blades broke. So I ran and got him a pair of vice grips with which to hold the tiny cable end and he kept going! When the tiller died again and wouldn't start, he figured out that removing the air filter just until it started did the trick. Then we had to quickly reattach the oily filter contraption to the top and tighten down the screw while the tiller bucked and jerked and Jeff kept an eye on the choke. We're starting to get the feeling it's time to search for a new tiller!

Jeff's version of Alabama agricultural ingenuity.

While Jeff was tilling, I was hoeing the edges and pushing back the encroaching Bermuda grass from the walkway and driveway. Jeff pronounced it my Dutch project, because of all the reclaimed territory. We have at least another foot of asphalt on each paved area that we didn't know existed under there!

Then it was on to building up the beds. Wheelbarrow, shovel, scoop, and rake were our companions as we amended our soil and raised the beds for better drainage. I'm looking forward to tucking the shrubs into their new, comfy homes soon.

Yes, short sleeves in November! It was warm and we were working hard ;-)