Happy Easter

My goodness!

I’ve been busy, busy these last few days. So, no blog posts.

Alex, my lawn guy, came Wednesday and put out fertilizer on the Centipede grass. He told me to be sure to water heavily three times–but to water at dusk as it has been about 80 degrees here over the past few days and the grass does not need to be fried by watering it in the full sun.

Everyone’s sodded grass is the promised apple green color now, but it now needs help to grow and spread. Here’s a view from the back of my house.

I have hoses on either side of the house–and went to Lowe’s to get two smaller sprinklers–the big one is harder to control in the back and part of the front so that the water does not go on to neighbors’ lawns. My back door neighbor, for instance, installed an underground system, so her grass does not need MORE water. And water here is not cheap–so I don’t need to be watering anything but my own grass.

The smaller sprinklers that will go in a circle are very tricky. I got totally soaked–TOTALLY–trying to get them to do what I wanted in the mostly narrow lawn spaces I have. Even I had to laugh, though, drenched as I was. And the grass did get watered, though I need some short hose extensions for both hoses–about 10-15 feet I think. And I will say, while laughing again, that I was, also, quite cool, which was welcome.

The master bedroom shower has had a leak under its doors–as the tiles on the ledge did not have the proper angle to make the water drain to the inside of the shower. In the end, the doors had to be removed, the tile redone, and the doors put back after the grout in the tiles dried. The doors went back on Thursday. And the shower no longer leaks! I had a lovely shower yesterday (Saturday).

The gutters were installed on Thursday as well, and now water does not drip off the roof on to my front walk right at the recessed door. And…I watered the grass.

On Friday I was a whirling dervish of energy. I went to Lowe’s to get a drain tube so the gutter drain near the roses did not put its water all on the end rose. A hydrangea hopped into my cart. Then I visited Carolina Lantern and Lights to start the process to get the 3 lights I need over the kitchen bar. Next, I visited a local quilt shop, Wild and Wooly, which is small but very sweet. On the way home I checked out Abide-A-While nursery and came home with plants: a Viburnum and herbs for the little herb garden I want to start.

I took a chance with the grass as we were clearly getting a BIG storm in the night which would provide me with adequate rain for the grass. And, the temps dropped into the 60s. So Saturday saw me outside early morning, between storms, digging holes, adding amendments, and planting the new plants. My soil here is all clay–it is like digging in cement when it is dry.

On the left, in the middle, is the viburnum. It will not get huge and dwarf the windows and will bloom in the spring. On the right is the Limelight hydrangea–a variety that will get about 8 feet tall, bloom white with blooms that turn red in the fall. It will be so pretty against that wall. And I can control it with trimming. The herbs are on the right.

From the upper left, clockwise: sage, chive, lavender, two kinds of lemon thyme, and oregano. The mint went in over by the roses–near the faucet, so it can be controlled better. I am wishing now that I had brought my grandmother’s mint from Maine as I’ve had it for over 50 years–but I thought that I’d likely never garden again. Who knew?

Anyway, I love cooking with fresh herbs, and now I’ll have some.

I had two lovely meals on Saturday. For lunch–I was so hungry after all that digging–I made scrambled eggs (local eggs that are soy and corn free from Local Jo’s Natural Foods ) with raw butter, fresh rosemary from the pot on the porch and fresh dill I bought, and some mozzarella cheese. It was quick, rich and delicious, and perfect.

Having been refueled, I made a quick trip to Loews for extensions to the two hoses. Three little pots of the little mondo grass, a groundcover plant, hopped into my cart as well. When I got home, I made an espresso and went upstairs to sew a little.

For supper I defrosted some cooked rice and made a rice salad, using the last of the roasted chicken, herbs, lots of fresh veggies, and I put it all on lettuce. The Organic Roots olive oil is so delicious in a salad like this one. (I have enough leftover for one more meal.)

I had also defrosted frozen blueberries and peaches, to which I added half of a Honey Crisp apple and a little maple syrup. So, dessert. And after I watched tv while I sewed down binding on the quilt I finished on the longarm.

It’s been a really good string of days.

And I’m grateful.