Sunshine!

After many days of rain, the sun is shining.  Though today is 'snowing' from my old silver popular tree.  Most of my cleaning efforts are going into the garden and yard.  Under the excuse that I needed to get fertilizer for the yard (truth) I went to the nursery.  Yes, I did get the fertilizer and will put it down tomorrow before the rains come again.  I also bought pansies because the ones I planted last year did, in fact, come back and are gorgeous.  And shrubberies to hide the mess in my neighbors yard.  It's behind their boat so they don't see it.  I bought an Annabelle Hydrangia, a yellow twig dogwood and a red twig dogwood.  They were 4/$20 instead of $9.99 ea.  Where can you get that kind of return on your money these days?!  Except now I need to get four more...I need two more of the dogwood so might as well get two more of something.  Maybe two more of the Inkberry Holly which will end up in the back yard.
Now, my normal mode is to let everything sit until it is nearly dead before planting.  I have made promises to myself that I wouldn't buy plants until I actually have the ground dug for them but I'm not very good at keeping promises to myself.  (This could be a topic for another blog entirely.)  The pansies are in the ground! and the spot for the hydrangia is ready.  More work needs to be done before the area is cleaned up for the dogwoods but, I promise, I will get it ready before I go get more.
I looked at my 'before' pictures but there are none that are not too embarrising to post.
As for Fixing or Finishing, those will have to wait.

Grumpy

I am stunningly grumpy today, for a lot of reasons, none of which are really too justifiable. 
I've been rejected from a juried show, I am struggling with a personal relationship, a family member is hospitalized, a friend broke her arm, I couldn't get myself out to do my job and my art work is simply NOT GETTING DONE.  So I stay awake at night worrying about it all and am too tired during the day to address any of it. 
In reality, I worked in the gallery all morning, I am doing laundry, the kitchen is clean, I am finishing a sewing project and have gifts and cards ready for Mom for Mother's Day.  A little credit here, please!
Wonder why I need to be so hard on myself?  Wonder what it will take to change that?  Didn't I just read a book that talked about this whole issue?  Here it is, in fact, right by my elbow...One Step Can Change Your Life.  Now I'm looking for the part about self-directed anger.  (And having a bit of blackberry wine.)

Can you believe it's May?!

After a weekend in Bennett, I'm home to start my new job as a NRFU Enumerator - that's pronounced nar-foo - I almost quit when I found out what the title would be, lol.  I visited a number of NRFU addresses but no one was home so I came back home to work in my yard.  I'll look for them later in the day when people are home from work.

I took some 'before' photos of the yard, hoping that it will motivate me to improve... there is lots of room for improvement.  The back yard is full of quack grass which will need to be poisoned (I think) to get rid of it.  I'd love to find another way but there is just too much and it is too tenacious.  This is the best of the 'before', the others are just too ugly to post.