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Day one of window project is complete. New window is in and dogs are generally contained. Presently fighting with the shelf above the side door which is getting replaced (the door, not the shelf - but I won't be surprised if my efforts in removing it require replacement of the shelf: oh, how I love painted-sealed screws). Glass blocks not in place so I've improvised another failsafe window until they can be. Yet to break out in poison ivy: would be the first time in 42 years if I do. Trim and seal and door and glass blocks tomorrow, apparently.

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Construction guy is here: the ivy-shattered six-by-six display window has been removed and is in the process of being replaced with two smaller, more residential style windows as no one is selling paint in the Paintshop these days. Meanwhile, I've fought a battle against basement window poison ivy in preparation for their replacement with glass blocks which will hopefully be done before the major rain comes today. If not, I'll be spending my evening preventing basement flooding.

flowermove/20230805

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Major operations are complete: all daylilies and assorted pretties (and none of the thistles and invasive grasses) are sorted and in their new homes around the backyard and the pond. Next up: painting the power line spool bench and spreading grass seed and mulch while keeping Kirby away from all of the above.

Important remedial gardening news: I was even allowed to plant several of the daylilies myself which implies a great deal of connubial trust and the apparent hardiness of the daylilies themselves. Time will tell if they survived my hand; I give them 50/50 odds.

First photo is from a month ago, the second from 10 minutes ago. There was a walkway buried in all of that, as well as a table and chair set and a patio. Walkway formed the new flowerbed edge.

De-weeded and de-planted and ready for its next phase of life. Yellow power line spool bench in the background.

flowermove/20230729

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(previously…) After last night's rain (and this morning's deluge) and the lowering of the climapocalypse heat index, work resumed on FlowerMove. All daylilies and peonies are out and in the process of separation from grassy invaders before transitioning to their new pondside dwellings.

Needed something to fill their former space (and the in-the-process-of-being-uncovered patio) and allow for future plant pots and other pretty things, so we bought this homemade powerline-spool-and-palette bench built by a local guy whose house I pass on the day's run. He and his son were kind enough to drive it over and help us (roll) it into place. Will eventually be pergola curtain orange.

A large yellow bench made out of a power line spool in the middle of what used to be a patio which then become a grass haven which is on its way back to patio

Two more views of the backyard, as it stands today, the latter with the powerline bench in its place…

flowermove/20230720

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(previously…) Half of the original flowerbed is no more, its weedy squatters evicted and pretty residents moved to temporary housing for de-clumping, separating (K’s job), and the wait for spots in the new bed to open up (read: me to dig many holes). 16 bags of dirt and a whole lot of rock moving requiring sledgehammer / splitting maul fun to remove more recalcitrant stones from their blockade. Pretty transplantation (half of residents in new spots so far) in progress.

Next: finish other half, transplant, make pretty. Stones and new grass, plus area for potential veg garden. Bricks for pond waterfall access path (and Kirby to play with his ball in said pond).

flowermove/20230717

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Second backyard project of the summer has commenced with the (long-time-coming) moving and downsizing of the biggest flowerbed in the backyard (part of which is visible on the left of the first photo) – weeding it has become more trouble than it's worth: shifting half to the pond's edge to make a full round of daylilies, with K's pergola outdoor-room and pond at the center, while the other half will remain and be shaped as the very large and immovable plants dictate.

Managed to get the first soil / topsoil coat / churn and rocks transplanted to form the edge today. Remainder of topsoil + another churn next. And then the transplanting…

summer project no. 1: pondside space

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Still a work-in-progress, but primary exertions on K’s outdoor, under-the-pergola, pondside space are complete (just before the first rain in 20 days began and brought our little “flash drought” to an end). First picture is how the area looked on Wednesday (which was itself an improvement) and the others are from today.

green coral bells, black weed fabric, a black frame chair, a blue and white rug, a brown wicker coffee table, a pond, and a lime green shed.

P.S. We got married under this very same pergola almost nine years ago.

display purposes

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Vinyl J-channels (for house siding) are a great and cheap way to display comics on the walls. I bought a single 12’ piece for seven bucks, cut it to size (three two foot pieces and one six foot piece) and attached to the walls with screws. Have to add thin wire (clear fishing line?) across each so the preciouses don’t faceplant at the slightest provocation.