... but not quite, just yet. In between some really nice days are the long, dreary, grey and rainy ones that make you go "bleccch!"
But the robins have returned, the daffodils are blooming up in bunches everywhere, squirrels are busily gobbling up all the sunflower seeds and nuts I've left for them, and a few early froggies are singing beautiful nighttime arias outside our window (and you know how much I love that).
In a nutshell: I've started my new job, been workin', and loving it lots. Just what the doctor ordered!
Had some time in 'tween to undertake a few really big outdoor landscaping projects, including one that was needing immediate attention - the neglected Frog Pond out back. It had gotten overrun with the crabgrass from Hell and looked dreadful. I don't honestly think I genuinely *hate* anything, but I'm telling you, crabgrass comes awfully close to it. I mercilessly hacked my way through the tangled jungle and felt nary a pang of guilt. In fact it felt rather good!
So the Hubby and I got up early, and all day long, we dug, dug, dug... ripped weeds... rearranged the rocks surrounding the pond... laid down fresh weed preventer fabric (it says it lasts 10 years, and it BETTER cuz I don't plan on doing this again any time soon - my spine won't allow it!) .... put down about 250 square feet of brand new soil .... and voila'!
Another huge project that took a few weekends was Stump Henge. It too had become a disorganized and overgrown mess, with bushes and weeds encroaching everywhere. We cleared out several hundred square feet of overgrowth, including something I'd never encountered before - this nasty, awful sticker vine that grows straight up from the ground like a thick barbed whip and intertwines into every bush and tree it comes into contact with. It was very alien and absolutely nightmarish! Even with thick leather work gloves, the huge thorns were able to pierce through, which was extremely unpleasant and painful. We had to be very careful about handling and disposing of it.
Stump Henge before
But we successfully rid the immediate area of it, and created a wider, prettier area of Stump Henge, including a little shaded grotto area that you walk into through a natural tree arch. The beautiful cement bench we got from Ronnie Twist's statuary shop was moved further into the Henge under an overhanging tree branch. We sat there for a spell, enjoying the fruits of our labor, and were amazed at our creativity mixing so well with the natural landscape. The finishing touches will be added (more statuary, a bird bath, humming bird feeders, flowering plants, etc) and will look even better once the fresh grass seed we laid down grows in. It will be a shady, quiet little place to sit and meditate in.
Stump Henge after! You can now walk easily into and around it
The little potting shed table area behind the well house got a big cleanup as well, and so did the little brick wall around our ancient apple tree. Here are a couple before and after photos, with more pics in the coming weeks and months to show its progress. Right now, as it's still officially winter, there is not too much green, but seeing as this is middle Tennessee, that will soon change and all will be luxuriantly green beyond imagination.
A calm and breezy Henge (L) and the revamped potting table (R)
One other project I'm working on is bringing my latest character to life. Here is the early rough drawing of him. Yes, he's a Viking, and his name is Snjarnl.
Isn't he cuddly?
Yeti is 15 years old, and while she's gotten just a bit slower, she's still very alert and active. Recently she made a new friend - a sweet West Highland terrier (or, "Westie" to those who love them) named Shelby, whose Mommy is my dear friend Linda. Shelby and Yeti got to have a play-date here at our home a few weeks ago. It was very cute!
Yeti and Shelby meet, as Linda watches
And yes. Yeti still loves to do the "water game" each and every night before I go to bed. She runs upstairs ahead of me, jumps on my bathroom counter, and not-so-patiently waits for me to turn the faucet on.
* * * * * * *
Today is the 7th year anniversary since Everett passed away.
I think of him frequently ... and know he's busy doing his next job, which consists of helping animals. I don't profess to know all the answers when it comes to wherever it is we go to when we die, but I feel in my heart and soul that he's in a much better place, where he is happier than he was here on Earth. Anne Marie (his mother) is coming out to stay with us in a few weeks. I'm so thankful that she and Cynthia, his sister, are still in my life.
