Whoops!

Usually I put photo comments below the photos I post but this time they're above the photos because the post is a bit of a story.  Narrative followed by photographic enhancement.  The first photo is a view looking away from the garage area up towards the neighbors house/driveway.  They're a nice couple with a couple of nice kids who we don't really know or see very often due to the fact that the houses aren't exactly touching.  But, as said, nice folks.  Now in this first picture there's something hidden in the trees, maybe 10-15 away.  See it??

OK... the scoop.  Somewhere around 7 PM last night the nice neighbor lady rang the front doorbell.  She had come over to let me know that her mother had had a slight accident and that she didn't want us to be surprised if I walk out of the garage and noticed a car in the tree line.  I thanked her for the information, sending hopes along that her mother wasn't injured... she wasn't, and according to the nice neighbor, her mother wasn't even in the car!?!?!?  So... slightly better view of what's hiding in the trees:

See?  Go ahead, click on the photo to enlarge it.  It's a very nice white Volvo parked 15-20 feet beyond the end of the neighbor's driveway.  Yep... had I not gotten the heads-up I think I would have been curious.

Go figure.  Nice, well-built car versus not-so-big tree and damned if the tree doesn't win!  The damage to the front I can understand.  The bashed in right side, particularly the passenger's door,  I'm still trying to figure out.  That's it... the very latest happening around the house :)



Oh So Eco-Friendly

As anyone who knows me knows, I'm extremely aware that protecting the environment and doing what I can to keep the earth a wonderful place for my grandchildren is very high on my list... not.  Regardless, I decided to get a rain barrel.  So, I ordered one and yesterday the thing came in.  I made a base and then a table/support for it and today I finished the install.  I have to admit that I'm petty excited about seeing what the thing is going to do as far as catching water.

The place I figured it would go.  Because of the lousy clay-type dirt in this area it has a flooding problem when it rains.  Hopefully the barrel will alleviate some of that as well.  Turned out that I included redirecting the downspout 180 degrees, heading it to flow down the driveway, when I finished getting the barrel set up.

And the 'after' shot with the barrel resting happily in its new location ready to catch all that free water.

The top is kind of neat.  It allowed for planting flowers in the top :)

And a progress shot of the new garden area.  The little grass seedlings are sprouting happily and the plants all seem to be doing well.  The hydrangea is doing very well and seems to be completely over the trauma it suffered when I unceremoniously ripped it from the only home it had ever known.  I haven't covered it during the day for about a week now so that little protection gesture is likely no longer needed. 

Grass!! Tiered Garden Update

Progress has been made on the 'Corral' project.  Planted some perennials to put in the lower tier and got those planted.  I took out the drainage channel I had put in, dug a trench through the rocks, and buried some tubing so now that's done.  I also put down some grass seed in yet another attempt to get new grass to grow in this god-forsaken dirt of Georgia.  This time I went out and bought some of that over-priced 'grass growing' dirt figuring I'd pull out all the stops.  Well, there is new grass growing!!  Yippee!!  I've been a good boy and kept the soil moist and said prayers every night to the grass gods and I guess it's having a positive effect.  Also happy that the hydrangea is recovering nicely from having been traumatized with the replanting and being put in a much sunnier spot.  It's gotten plenty of water and these first several days I've covered it with a light sheet from about 11 AM to 3 PM.  The last couple of days we've had some clouds and a bit of rain and that has helped also.  So... the progress is all good... so far.

Ta da!!  That green stuff amid the black stuff on the ground is new grass coming in.  Granted, it's not a new grandchild or the like but it's still pretty exciting to us.  The yellow thing draped on the pickets is a light sheet we use to cover the hydrangea at times.

The new look with the drainage tubing buried, flowers in the lower tier, and everything growing wonderfully!