Another one bites the dust!

I really planned on taking a break from the landscaping project, but when I happened upon 5 forsythia shrubs for $7 each at the Walmart, I had to snag them! Forsythia is one of the first things to bloom in the Spring with bright yellow flowers.

I had tried rooting my own forsythias from some cuttings provided by Dana, my farm hand's Mom. I failed miserably, and I so wanted some to screen the propane tank. When we originally had the landscaping done, some genius thought that planting prickly holly around the tank was a good idea. I should have made him come and check the gauge and fill the tank through all those hateful prickles!

Here's the tank after I weed-whacked the worse of the grasses and weeds from the front side. Sassy is checking for crickets and frogs among the 3 remaining holly bushes. (Okay, crappy photo taken with my phone!)


I still needed to get to the back where the fill valve and gauge are!



And here it is with new shrubs, mulch and stepping stones:

These will grow into a large hedge.



As usual, the weather was scorching and muggy and the biting bugs got through all of my chemical and clothing defenses. But check this out! The weather in Kansas shot up 20 degrees in 20 minutes (to over 100 degrees) AT MIDNIGHT!

Anyway, by the time I finished mulching around the tank, I was also out of mulch. So, today, I had another truckload delivered.

See? Lonely cart with no mulch.

It's a bit like magic. You give the guys a kidney, first-born child (Hi, Courtney! What are you doing with the rest of your life?), or a sack full of cash...



and they leave a mountain of mulch at the end of your driveway for your hauling pleasure!



I know you all worry about me toiling away in the hot sun, e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y, but I do other things too. The other day, as I was running the dogs, I saw this:

Wouldn't this make a great calendar picture?

So in the relative cool this morning, I went on a scouting trip and picked my first blackberries. I got almost a quart!



Since there are plenty more waiting to ripen, I washed these and spread them out on a cookie sheet and popped them in the freezer. These are going to make delicious smoothies all winter long!



And at night, when there is no sunlight or outdoor work to do, I've been crocheting some dish cloths.



These are a a gingham pattern that I thinks looks really neat. They are large and thick and wear really well. I think I might put these in my shop. I can't decide whether to make sets gingham cloths of all the same color, a mixed color set, or sets with one color scheme but different patterns including a gingham one. Any opinions??