Last weekend, Anton and I took a little trip up to the old house. I cleaned up the perennial beds, split a few daisies to take home and cleaned up the vegetable garden. The Sparks family had been keeping an eye on the place and grounds, but I just felt it was too much to ask for the beds to have their winter preps completed. Plus, I just wanted to see how things were coming along. Anton did not want me to go alone and he wanted to see some of the friends he so desperately misses. Isabella had her monthly Sunday choir performance and Karl taught our Sunday school class which is why they stayed behind. Plus the puppies would have been more trouble than leaving Karl or I behind.
It was nice to see so many dear faces. Anton wanted to stay at church with his friends, but we had a lot of work to finish up before returning home the next day. With Anton's help, we cleaned up the beds and raked the leaves. Then I borrowed a lawn mower to chop up everything in the veggie garden. After it was all chopped, I tilled it all in, except for the parts Karl would usually burn for me as they were not easy to till into the ground. I left these on the top of the freshly turned earth as a mulch in hopes the winter weather will break them down before spring. I also raked up some bare patched of lawn where the grubs did a number on it and spread some seed rather thickly.
After Anton was tucked into his sleeping bag, I painted the basement floor on the unfinished side of the basement. I did this because it was something I had not completed before we left for our new house. The realtor said many people commented on this, so I decided it would be easier to finish it now than while the renters are in the house. Yes, we decided to rent since the market was still suffering and two mortgage payments was making things really tight for us. The renters are a nice military couple who have indicated they might want to purchase the house if the navy gives them follow on orders to stay in the area. Here is hoping! It the mean time, we will have some help with the mortgage payments while the market rebounds.
When Anton and I returned home, Karl took the kiddos to their first Pro Ice Hockey game. I settled down to a long bath and "girly movie" before calling it a night. The next day, we attacked the tree line again. Not as much progress as last time, but even two hours of focused work shows some drastic changes. Then it was back to normal grind of the week.
This weekend, we all decided to work on the front section of the grounds. I spread straw around the evergreens while Karl and the children spread more seed, fertilizer, and lime. I was also able to get the daisies from the other house in the ground just before the sky opened up and torrential rains fell. I am not making this up! I had just finished cleaning the shovels and rolling up the hose when it began to sprinkle. I walked into the garage with the tools and turned back around when I heard the down pour begin. Karl came out to find me laughing about not needing to wet down the straw, seed, or fertilizer thanks to nature!
