Extremely Slow Yard Makeover

Welcome to Extremely Slow Yard Makeover. Today the project is filling in the hole we dug Friday. What makes this show different than the one we did three years ago. Where we had some trees removed, was that the family went to Disney World for the week. This year the family is doing most of the work.



As you can see the gravel has been spread, however it seems that we may need more. The task was not as difficult as expected, the gravel was a mix of rocks, and dirt, making it easier to shovel. It is going as planned.

The next phase is to tamp this down, which will consist of the use of a tool we purchased a long time ago for this project, it has been used only once before on a similar yet smaller project we did a few years back. Had this tool been on trial for not having been used in the past six months, it would have been convicted and sentenced to a yard sale.

On a side note, this is a good analogy of my life, I spent lots of time planning, than actually doing anything. So when it is time to do anything, I am at least ready, as far as applying the "six-month" rule, with me. I would be sitting at a yard sale with a price tag hanging around my neck.

Well I am done for today, blogging that is. I am planning on tamping the dirt during the week and if needed, will call in some more gravel.

On the next episode of Extremly Slow Yard Makeover or in Phase Three, we will be laying the flagstone and we may have some suprise guest to help.

How to Remove Dandelions

It seems that spring has sprung as well as the dandelion population, a colony of them have decided to plant themselves in our side yard. There are various ways to get rid of them, some will pick them, others will spray with chemicals, however I have found a way to get to the root of the problem and make a statement to any other freeloading dandelions that just happen to be in the neighborhood.



Okay, now that I think about it, I may have overreacted.


Digging up the dandelions was more of a fringe benefit of what is actually going on. Normally I would park my car in that area. We have been working on ways to reduce the amount of grass. So we are going to put in a flagstone parking area as well as widen the driveway with flagstones on either side.

Currently this is Phase One, which is somewhat complete, I am in the process of getting all the loose mud out of the hole, for the beginning of Phase Two, which is spreading out a layer of rocks, which I have had practice doing before, and one thing I learned is that rocks don't like being moved..and can become very stubborn about leaving their spot.

Phase Two starts tommorow, so I need to rest a bit.

Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning is two words, one I love, the other ...well... I do my best to avoid at all cost. Both inspire rebirth. Rebirth may not be the best word to use in this comparison, if one considers what may have not been cleaned during the other three seasons, something that has been sitting there alone in the dark, pondering it's existence, "Am I something someone wants or at least has an unwarranted or unexplainable desire to keep around, or am I something that can not be explained and attracts proclaimations such as "Oh my stars, What is that?" and the most feared, "I am not touching that, call a professional."

Let's turn to Spring. It's the best time of year, flowers bloom, pollen flies, nose get stuffy, but there is no more damp, dark and dismal days. The days get longer, the nights getting brighter...On Broadway, okay so that's not the exact lyric, but the sentiment is there.

Spring is the time of excitement, maybe not on the level of a Broadway production, at least the temperature rises and the landscape gets brighter, however, the ticket prices are more reasonable.

What about the dust, the reason for cleaning, to understand cleaning, we must first understand dust, it has to make it's home in this world, however, cleaning sets in, there are some that will clean before the dust has a fighting, almost suicidal chance to settle, to find a comfortable place to rest, but there is cleaning happening and the dust realizes that it must go elsewhere, to a place where the vigilante unrelenting mission of cleaning is not as "restrictive"

So the destitute dust shows up at my house, finding a place that is somewhat more "user friendly". It is quiet, silent and realizes that if it just lands on the places that have the least restrictive cleaning regimen, it would be..to use a word..happy.

This is the reason that cleaning is a difficult thing for me, the idea of putting many dust particles in a state of homelessness, is something that don't sit well with me. Well.. until my wife states the obvious, dust is bad..it must go!


Sorry dust, but I do love the Spring...

This is a lousy day, I am tired and have a sore throat

Life is good, in general. The day is just lousy.

Here is the question, Are the days themselves lousy or just the stuff that happens on those days? It is not like salted in the shell peanuts, every now and then, you open a shelled peanut and find a dried up and ugly peanut, therefore, a lousy peanut, I am thinking that it is not the day, just the stuff that happens on that particular day.

Something in the back of my mind is concerned about the above analogy, but I like peanuts so it will stay.

So I guess all my days are great, since they are there, and only come once a....uh...day. It would be best to be glad of that and any day.

So we come to the conclusion that lousy stuff, happens. The day is not responsible. So I guess the phrase "I am having a lousy day", is not directed at that day, be it Monday, Thursday or any of the other seven.

So to keep on topic of the title of this blog. Today is a lousy day, not because of the day, but because I am in this day and I am tired and have a sore throat.

And I had to work on this day, and it seems that the word "work" is always preceeded with the words "had to". Go ahead and test it. Most of the time that the use of the word "work" or similar word is used, it always follows "had to".

So for me at this time, a lousy day consist of, work, being tired and a sore throat. But what about this blogging moment, I like doing this, so is the day still lousy, my throat would agree, as well as other worn out body parts.

But for me this day is turning out just fine, cause I like writting this blog.

I am at home, my wife is watching a movie, the cats are not running amok in the house, I am still tired and have to work tomorrow. Is the day still lousy? not really, just parts of it..it is those lousy "hours" that mess up the day, but that is for another blog.

A reason to Blog?

The thing about a blog, is what to blog?

There is also the big question, When to blog? Which is not that important, unless there's a select group needing to check in at preset times each week, I guess it has something to do with schedules, or checking their calendar.

I have a calendar, however, So I will know what month it is, and at times I'm lucky to know the day. I just know that I have to work tomorrow, so that is all the info I need as well as being off Monday.

There is a guy that is gonna to dig up some dirt for me, so I can build a parking area beside my, I mean "our" driveway. I've been married for eight years, the usage of "we" as opposed to "I" is one of those things that I (notice I did not use "we") need to work on.

I am guessing that some of you are wondering about what I said about a guy digging up dirt and what that has to do with anything. I, yes that was just me, not a "we" situation, was thinking of having a flagstone laying party at my..opps.. I was getting the hang of the I/we thing and ran headlong into a my/our situation. Let me rephrase, I was thinking of having a flagstone laying party at our house.

The beauty of this invite is that it is does not have an exact date in mind, so those "calendar driven, or is that calendar dependent" folks have an out. For this time only the following will be acceptable. "I wish you would have told me earlier, I have already booked.. ___________(fill in the blank) for that time."

Now to answer the burning question, A reason to blog?. Cause my dad wants me to.

And that is as good enough reason as any.

Today is Monday March, 24, 2008

The title of this post is kinda fitting since this is the day that I am writing this. I had a great day on Sunday with my Family (capitalized cause they are a special bunch of folks). I worked the weekend, and have a few comments about the Easter holiday

Intresting fact. Easter baskets are not purchased till the week of the big event, they sat in the store for at least a month..sitting..sitting...waiting for that day. Then bam, gone..sold out..within a week. (sorry..to bad ....so sad... for those that wait till the last minute.. there is a lesson there..)


So the big question is Why the gift baskets of toys and candy????

Easter is not supposed to be like Christmas, although both holidays are centered around the same person, there is a distinct difference.

Christmas is about giving gifts, The gift received by us from God, Jesus. We give gift to acknowlege this.

Easter is about the gift we received. Easter is the time of true thanksgiving..not of what we have, but what we were given, that being salvation, pretty neat gift if you ask me.

This is my blog for now.

I was told to write one a week, I will try to stay the course. If anyone has a topic they would like to discuss, please let me know.

PS....giving out chocolate should be a year round event...so I am "down" with that..

PSS "down" is slang for "I concur with your postion on said subject". So if you wanted to comment on my post and you agree with it..you could say ....Yo dawg I'm down wit dat.

PSSS "Yo dawg" is slang for "Yes (or Hark) , my friend"

PSSSS "wit" and "dat" Is just "with" and "that" but with an attidude.

It is almost Spring and I have not blogged

Well, it seems that I have been slighly amiss in blogging. Since I am new to this, I did not realize that there were time intervals for blogging. I though you just blogged when you had the need to blog. I am not sure I can dealt with the pressure of having to blog. Blogging for me is a mean of expressing myself in words or pictures.

There really is no point to this blog post or Blost, (this is a new word I just created for the internet.), well there is. And If I have to make a statement, then a statment I will make.

The statement is, I will blog when I want to blog, or better still, when I have something of worth to share to the masses, or at least the masses that read this blog. Which seem to be a few, which is not bad. But as far as the world wide population goes, the percentages is way below my projected audience.


So for those expecting a blog from me, here it tis.

I think I will post another one sooner..at least before I go to the beach with my family..yeah!!!!