Sunday, June 23, 2024

Delightful Day

Joe and I started the morning with a trip to the local nursery and then over to Lowe’s Garden Center in Maple Grove. We were on the hunt for plants for the yard. There is an area in the yard above the retaining wall that we want to plant with perennials. The previous owners had mulch on the hill. When Joe started digging to plant some Hosta plants we already had on hand, he discovered that beneath the mulch is ground cloth, a layer of rock, another layer of ground cloth, and another layer of rock. When he dug through the layers to get to the ground, the rock filled a 5-gallon bucket.

The good news is that we will use the rock in other areas of the yard as we tackle them. What is this “we” stuff? Joe will use the rock in other areas of the yard. When we got back home around 11:30 am with fourteen new plants for our yard, Joe planted four Russian Cypress (Microbiota Decussata) bushes in the front side yard next to the mailbox. Russian Cypress are also known as Siberian Cypress and  are both deer and drought resistant. They attract birds and hummingbirds and require minimal maintenance.

The other ten plants will go in the ground on the hill alongside twenty Hosta plants. I snapped a few photos of the area the plants will go in as a “before” picture.

Part 1 of the sloped side yard.

Part 2 of the sloped side yard.

Part 3 of the sloped side yard.

Joe’s goal is to have everything planted on the slope by Tuesday as the irrigation company will be here on Wednesday morning. Having the plants placed will ensure the drip system is installed the way we want and need for our plants to thrive. After the irrigation system is in the ground cloth will be installed and then mulch over the ground cover. The far-right part of  the slope will not have plants, Joe plans to build steps or terraces up the hill.

Joe also hung a shelf and a picture in the freshly painted main level bathroom. This bathroom is so small it is hard to photograph it. Hopefully, you can get an idea of the outcome.

The bathroom Megan painted with a shelf and a picture.

Around 4:30 pm we made our way down the street to a high school graduation party. When we arrived, the graduate greeted us at the end of the driveway (a hug for me, a handshake for Joe) and then he asked us to pose for a photo with him. I thought that was cool. Poor guy, there were people coming and going from 4:00pm on. I believe the goal was for the graduate to personally greet and have his photo taken with every guest as they arrived. He was a busy guy!

We saw several of our neighbors at the party and were just getting ready to leave at 5:30pm when I got a text from our neighbor across the street, Mary Lee, asking if we were still at the party. I texted back that we would wait for her to come down. She got there within about ten minutes, and we had the opportunity to visit for about forty minutes. Another neighbor showed up that knew Mary Lee and we headed home at 6:30pm.

The graduate’s family had hired a catering company to provide all you can eat hamburgers, grilled chicken, chicken tenders, French fries, cheese curds, and ice cream. I ate a cheeseburger, tried a bite of grilled chicken, and ate two chicken tenders. Joe and I shared an ice cream. Then Joe went back and got me a scoop of vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce. The food was tasty!

I enjoyed the party! It was nice to see people we had already met and to meet another neighbor for the very first time. The party is scheduled to be over at 7:00pm, though I suspect their extended family members will be at the party longer.

It was a delightful day. Shopping for plants, celebrating a neighbor’s graduation, chatting with our cool neighbors, and eating burgers and ice cream!

 

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