whee

[dragonlady7]

It needs to rain, but I am enjoying the weather, so I guess it's OK.
I have Memorial Day off. I have not had Memorial Day off within memory. (College might be the last time.) I am so part-time it doesn't matter, but wow. I don't know what to do with the concept of a long weekend.
Today I am really really looking forward to setting up the back porch. Is that nuts? I just think it'll be so nice to have it, and then I'll make the living room my Get-Ready-For-Pennsic Etc. craft space, and then hopefully I will get organized again after Pennsic. But meanwhile... having space! To lay things out! I am enthused at the prospect.

The yard is getting awesomer and awesomer but I have sore muscles in my hands and forearms from trying to break clods of clay.

The problem with the back porch is that there are only blinds on four of the six windows. The two at the north corner don't have blinds or anything. Z hates the blinds, so I'm not really looking for more like them, but I need to figure out how to fasten curtain rods or rod hangers into the aluminum walls out there, so I can make curtains for the other two windows. I am also planting melons and squash in a planter just in front of the west-facing north window, which is Z's idea-- if I can train the vines up a trellis in front of the window, we'll have a nice shade that way during the hottest part of summer, and also something interesting to look at. So I just spent an hour doing that before the sun reached the backyard. I transplanted some... something unlabeled... that I started (It's cucurbitacae of some kind, I just don't know which-- probably acorn squash? Or zucchini), and planted some pre-soaked Heavenly Blue morning glory seeds. I'll throw some nasturtiums in there too. What would be really neat would, I think, be grape vines, but I'd have to build an arbor and let's not get crazy here.
I have wild grapes going nuts in the front yard-- they piggybacked on a bush I brought from mom and dad's house. I haven't the heart to cut them down entirely, but they do need to be tamed somewhat. They won't produce much by way of grapes, but I am tempted to train them anyway and see what happens. I should really just buy a commercial grape vine next year and exterminate the wild ones, but I am a sucker and miss my overgrown childhood home.

So that's that. I am feeling accomplished, since I passed out at 10 last night and was up before 7, working in the front yard while there was good cloud cover and the sun wasn't really up. I will get those peppers planted, I will. Gr.

Comments

[kkatowll.livejournal.com]

I would take two of those metal magnet-clips that breed on my cubicle wall, and I would attach the curtains that way. But then again, I am Queen of the Ghetto.

[dragonlady7.livejournal.com]

Sadly, only ferrous metals attract magnets, and aluminum is not, so it won't work. I believe it is also plastic-coated, and thus even less attractive to magnets. I will need to either screw or adhere something.

[ithilwen.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you're going to have a gorgeous yard this coming summer!

[dragonlady7.livejournal.com]

We'll see!!! It's taking me way more effort than I think it's going to-- I keep saying "Today I will do X, Y, and Z!" and then I spend all day on a task preparatory to X, and don't even get to think about Y and Z. Oh well-- I have a few things in the ground, and I get a few more in every day, and that's the best I can do!
I hope it doesn't get out of control as the year goes on-- sometimes I start with the best of intentions and then OMG, all that weeding gets out of hand. The weeds grow faster than the things I actually want! So annoying.

Hopefully at least we'll eat well. I have two green strawberries so far to show for all my work. ;) And perhaps some baby spinach, but not enough to make anything out of. Soon. Soon.

[ithilwen.livejournal.com]

That's the problem with gardening (and yard work in general) - it always takes longer and is harder than you think it will be!