Raised Planter Beds and More Rain!

Today I spent about four hours researching metal raised gardening beds for our yard. Reading reviews to discover the pros and cons of different companies. Looks like we have a winner! Birdie brand manufactured in Australia.

Joe measured the area we want to grow in and is drawing it up so we can decide how many beds to purchase. Looks like our best deals are bundled, which means we want to make sure we get the right number of beds at least for the first area.

I also spent an hour of the research time watching YouTube videos like “9 Beginner Raised Bed Garden Mistakes to Avoid” or “How to Fill a Raised Bed and Save 60%+ on Soil Costs.” I am excited because Epic Gardening has loads of fun videos for me to still watch. I am especially looking forward to “5 Watering Mistakes You’re Probably Making” and “How to Perfectly Pest-Proof a Raised Bed.” Joe is the gardener, but I find the videos informative, and they hold my interest. Could it be like my interest in law enforcement and medical shows? I have no desire to be a doctor or a lawyer and yet I enjoy the shows. Now we can add gardening shows to my list!

In addition to research, I made Catalina salad dressing. I had never heard of it until my niece mentioned it was a family favorite. It is a form of French dressing with a little less catsup than French. I appreciated how easy it was to make and hope it meets with their approval later this week. The dressing is good for up to a month when refrigerated.

I also dealt with the tree removal guy, Perry Eggert, when he called to say the rains, we had this week and still expect to get through Friday, means postponing the ash tree coming down until July 2^nd. That was supposed to happen on Thursday and Friday of this week. While I am glad to reschedule because I was concerned about the noise when we had family visiting, we are also anxious to get the tree out so we can landscape that section of the yard.

A delay in the tree coming down meant a phone call to the irrigation/sprinkler installer to see if he could flip the zones he will work in on June 26^th. That turned out to be fine with him, but it puts more pressure on Joe to get plants in place in the other zones. Guess what? It is storming right now! The area of the yard Joe needs to work in is already mud.

Below is a photo of the yard where the raised planter boxes will reside.

(It's the muddy area - there will be four feet from the back retaining wall

that will be all stones and then the raised beds will be seated in four rows 

up to within two feet of the front retaining wall.

A short video to capture this evening's rain – I enjoy watching it hit and bounce off of the neighbor’s roof.

Joe found deer prints in our yard this morning. We see loads of rabbits and squirrels in the yard; however, we have not seen a deer in our yard. I guess I should be careful pulling out of the driveway.

Megan got the first coat of paint on the bathroom walls this afternoon. Tuesday is her errand day, so she made it over around 2:30pm. The paint has to dry for four hours before the second coat is applied. She will put the second coat on tomorrow, install new hardware on the cabinets, and help me get ready for the Jeff Karnes family visit!

In case you had not figured it out for yourself, I am ecstatic that we are going to have our first overnight guests!