At least one project always turns into a much larger project.....

Aside from spending time with Jenna and Zeya and Kyan, the last few weeks have mostly been landscaping and yard work....a LOT of work. There has been the usual endless weeding, we ordered 10 yards of mulch, and we built a rock wall. You can check out some of the before and after photos below. And as everyone learns at some point or another, there is always at least one project that you start which turns into a much larger project: between our font door and the pool is a small area with a birch tree growing through - it can be stunning to look at, but while putting up new siding we discovered most of the old siding down under the river rock was rotting. So I spent countless hours removing the river rock and sifting it out through leaves and dirt....there was enough to fill 5 stinking garbage cans. Then we needed to dig a trench down about 18 inches through clay and other various rock and roots. While I may be employable as a medieval moat digger, I am unspeakably glad to have other marketable skills. The idea was to attach a wolmanized board at the bottom of the new siding, build another rock wall 3 feet out from the side of the pool building separating the dirt and river rock, which if we dug down deep enough would now sit and inch or two below the wolmanized board. This way we still get drainage, but not rot. You may be able to see pictures of this completed in a few days. But it doesn't end there. When we went to attach the board below the siding, we discovered that not only was the siding rotted, so was everything behind it. And by everything, I'm including the supports that hold the front wall of the pool building up. Not good. But good to find out before it falls over. Guess we have another project for the list. I must admit, I did take a few days off in there to go to my cousin Ava's birthday party (she just turned 4!), lounge in my aunt and uncles' pool and enjoy their fine cooking, meet up with the Houseknechts (the family I used to live with) at Cabelas while they passsed through on their way to the beach, and work on some dresses. Now I am going to go get some sleep so I can do it all again tomorrow....