People I've emailed with or seen at a good “social distance” – 6 feet—have asked me if I'm bored at home since a lot of activities have disappeared since February/March.  The answer is “NO” for 2 reasons: 1) I'm naturally a loner, happy with just myself, LuLu and Annie for company; and 2) I've been busier than I ever thought possible working outside in the yards: front, back, and both sides.

This time alone, with Bruce, who normally would have been gone on motorcycle rides ad rallies which have been canceled, have given me an opportunity to work for hours outside (and to crack a whip to spur my “slave labor”, his words) on.  For years as I've commuted distances for work in Stated owned yards and properties, I've been too pooped to get my own planted areas in order, and NOW was the time.

First, the weeds were removed –digging and spraying.  Then I identified the remaining plants and amended the soil with those beds.  On the Northside of the house are 3 beds; 2 of the beds are separated by the dry creek (when I found it) and 1 other separated by a stepping stone path to the bridge – finally got my bridge designed and installed!! –

The largest bed is in the full sun and has Siberian Iris and German Iris planted now (out of their pots on the patio where they been living for the past 3 years.  In there also is a Russian Sage, miscellaneous bulbs, and my precious Chilopsis linearis or Desert Willow.  That's the area where the 2 concrete benches were placed 20 years ago and were left to hold down the fort until I had a plan!

The bed between the house and the dry creek is a bed of camellias, hostas, monkey grass (Liriope), heuchera, and hardy ferns under the Acer palmatum ‘Bloodgood'.  All were looking great until the temperature went above 99! 

The smallest of the beds is in the shade thanks to the 2 Maytens boaria trees I planted over 15 years ago; instead of growing UP, the darn things threw out suckers from very shallow roots so that I actually had 8 trees growing in a line!  After some very judicious pruning there are no ONLY 4 growing with the distance between them.  Now all the daylilies, more hostas, ferns, and lamiums are planted in there along with Abelia that replaced the Japanese anemones that I carefully planted and promptly died – hardy plants, not so much.

Those beds took me 3 weeks to clear and plant.  All the plants were from pots on the deck, patio, and under taller plants for shade.  I finally got bags of mulch (20)—on sale-- to use in those areas and used them all plus 10 additional bags that were stored in the back forty.

My Irises were absolutely beautiful and promptly dried out when the first heatwave hit.  Okay then!

In the backyard was a large planting bed where the corkscrew willow is and that's where the “spare” hydrangeas went – got of the pots and into the ground; also, the Heucheras were plucked from the pots on the patio and went there as well. I'm going to have to back through that bed and spray the Bermuda grass which is once again growing gaily but less thickly than before.  The cement pagoda (heavy, heavy) went from that area to the side yard and the birdbath (not as heavy) went in its place.  The rear large bed (approx. 16 feet deep and 20 feet long) has more shade now.  My beloved Mountain mahogany tree which was planted near the fence to remove the neighbors from my sightline had died this winter and in less than 6 hours, he was down and out of there – amazing how fast a chainsaw can turn a tree into green waste!  Now I have a hole between the Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) and the last Photinia.  Finally, those 2 plants are getting all the sun they need. Now the neighbors' house is visible once again, so something small BUT tall needs to go there!

The only area I haven't dealt with is the other side yard which is in full sun all day with heat radiating off the house; that area will have to wait until blessed cool weather comes!

Finished the stepping stone path from the dry creek and going around the gazebo to connect with a stepping stone path from the patio to the gazebo.  Then finished the pathway around the back of the pergola and between the gazebo and the side fence and then around to meet up with the sidewalk from the back gate around to the patio.  I still have 10 stones to put down from the pathway by the rose garden straight down to the NEW lower deck.

Since Bruce has “nowhere to go” (his words said with tears in his eyes), he's been working on that with his “hired” crew – me and 2 dogs.  Waiting on the privacy lattice to arrive so we can cover the ¼” wire mesh to keep the critters from making themselves to home and can cover the wire and then bury the bottom 2 inches of wire and make it dig under proof.  Then it's the steps from the lower deck to the upper deck, putting lattice between the upper and lower deck to make that space a no critter zone, put the fascia boards to cover the decking edges AND WE ARE DONE, I TELL YOU – DONE!

And no, I haven't been bored at all at home. Other than my projects, and busily reading the books I've not read yet (and my friends KNOW I have plenty of books), I didn't do much at all!  Have you been bored?