Take one Blazer back end full of plants.

Add one determined Daughter-in-law with a tractor, a pile of top soil, and a Mantis Tiller and you have the makings of a lovely yard.

After a day of work in the sun this is the new look on the berm.

We moved on to the garden at the front door next.  I say we but I was failing fast!

We have seven spots around the dome with flower beds.  We now have three completely cleaned up with four to go.  Some of those have had part of the weeding done.  But Debra said she will be back on Sunday with hubby and hopefully both kids to finish them up.

Tomorrow I hope to have Jay help me transplant Lilac bushes and some Red buds.  We will see how we feel.

    I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now. A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table.
    But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.
    The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do some-thing about father,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.”
    So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl!
    When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.
    The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?”
    Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
    The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks! Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.
    That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.
    On a positive note, I’ve learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.
    I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.
    I’ve learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.
    I’ve learned that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life..”
    I’ve learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.
    I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.
    I’ve learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.
    I’ve l earned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
    I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.
    I’ve learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.
    People love that human touch—holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.
    I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.!
    I’ve learned that you should pass this on to everyone you care about.
  I just did.

    NOTICE AT THE END, THE DATE THE CANDLE WAS STARTED. GONNA GIVE YOU
  GOOSE BUMPS.

    I am not going to be the one who lets it die. I found it believable
  —angels have walked beside me all my life—and they still do.

    The Candle Of Love, Hope & Friendship
            ()
          |—-|
          |—-|
          |—-|

    This candle was lit on September,15, 1998. Someone who loves you has
  helped keep it alive by sending it to you.

    Don’t let The Candle of Love, Hope and Friendship die! Pass It On To
  All Of Your Friends and Everyone You Love!

    Please keep this candle alive

  Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may
  not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.

   
Sent to me from Skyline and I felt the need to share.

I took the day off from gardening yesterday because Les came up to assemble the new computer for us.  I selfishly wanted to spend as much time with him as I could but I’m sure all the questions drove him nuts.  He probably felt like he was on the phone at an IT desk and had a real ditz on the other end.  He could have been mentally shaking his head but he was patient and loving during the whole ordeal. 

He started with two brown cardboard boxes full of unknowns and plenty of styrofoam peanuts that Brandy thought could taste pretty good.  Sometime after supper he had assembled, staged, and had it up and running.  While in between installing programs on the new C P U he brought the computer from upstairs down and set it up in a corner by the French doors. 

Jay had from the desk at the Goodwill store in Clio and fits in that corner nicely.  I have since brought the Operator chair over to use at this location and had Les bring the armed roll around chair from upstairs to use at the new CPU area.  Jay is going to cut down the the keyboard shelf from the old upstairs desk to fit the smaller desk. I haven’t decided how to solve the missing drawers problem yet.  Also I had better stop moving things into the area or we will have to eat out in the backyard soon.  It looks like Mommas Corner is spreading out all over just like Momma!

So there you have it a whatever thing with a ‘dual core’ processor, a DVD/CD burner, and a few other bells and whistles that I don’t understand .  But what I do understand is that it is faster than a greased pig on a play ground slide and I have time to learn about now. 

Just when I had made up my mind to let the little gardens around the house go to pot ( not what you smoke).  Wes’ wife Debra says,” I’m coming up to help you get those garden cleaned up”. She and grandson Dakota arrived this morning, Jay made sausage and pancakes, then we headed for the yard.  Jay left for Dialysis and we started in with weeding. 

Debra worked on cleaning out the weeds, putting newspaper down in the spot she had cleared, and then dirt on top that.  Dakota started the mowing with the tractor.  I weed whacked the sides if the embankment down to the back driveway that are too steep to use a lawn mower on because unfortunately my knees started hurting after a very short time of knelling.  Debra said she didn’t know how hard our ground was and it was taking more time then expected. 

I asked her to help me place some of the garden decorations and this is what she came up with. 

Using that mound of wood chips, out in front of the house, from where they had ground down the tree stumps from the trees that were cut down last year, she started placing the bird bath, the cranes,  and a solar lamp.  Plans are to fill the area with wild grasses, Hosta ( sorry can’t find the spelling), and some Iris plants from her yard that are extra.  The bush at the end on the left side was the Lilac that was at the road that got run over when they were digging the ditches out front.  I didn’t hold much hopes for it but it looks like it isn’t giving up yet.

We also planted the new butterfly bush up near the tree with all the feeders in it.
We brought the swing up with the truck and set it up in the side yard again.
We also sneaked in a visit to the nursery for petunias that I didn’t get yesterday.

After they helped put all the tools away and left for home I prepared the two hanging baskets with the coconut pads,  soil, and planted the petunias in them.  I will hang them on Shepherd’s hooks tomorrow.

Debra said she would be back up next Monday bless her heart. 

Needless to say tonight I’m sore and tired so I bid you goodnight my friend!