Digging

[muckefuck]

Took me a little while to track down Dad for Father's Day since he'd turned off his phone for a play and forgotten to turn it back on again. The play was in Bloomington, IN, and he and his wife were nearly across Illinois when I reached them. Dad was driving, so they put me on speakerphone in the car, which was kind of ridiculous. Stepmom kept pledging, "I'll stawp tawking so you can tawk to your Dad" and then butting in again at the next opportunity. But they both sounded good, so it all left me in a good mood.

I'd been thinking of Dad earlier in the day when I took a shovel to the hellcorner (where the hellstrip meets the ordinary verge). Coordinating with the rest of the so-called Landscape Committee has come to naught (surprise!) so I thought I start on it myself before the weeds got completely out of control. It's not as bad as I feared. There's a fair bit of sand in the middle about a foot down which will balance out all the clay around the perimeter if you we just mix it all together well. Toss in the contents of the composter and we should have a first-rate flower bed.

When I shared my experiences with Dad, he said that with landscaping (much like with all forms of construction), "You don't know what's there until you start digging." He's still in the middle of a major project for his ersatz church and he's found a helluva lot of gravel, as well as rags and other refuse--anything they could find to raise the grade so the water flowed where they wanted it to. For my part, I've found snack bags, styrofoam cups, and whatever else the Streets and San workers didn't feel like taking with them. Thanks, guys!

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I have become a landscaping committee of one, as the parkway in front looks like a bomb site. I laid down black landscape plastic over whatever Streets and San had thrown on it, and planted herbs and lettuce. It looks better-ish. Menards had rose bushes for dirt cheap, so I sneaked one into the blank space next to the porch. It's now blooming! Gwyn

[fidicinis.livejournal.com]

I wish LJ had a like button so I cld drop a note like this, saying that I like your sensitive and smarg way of describing your life.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

"Smarg"? Is that a blend of smart and smug?

[fidicinis.livejournal.com]

no, sorry, 'twas a mere typo. I meant to write smart, of course

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

I'm not saying the shoe doesn't fit!

[fidicinis.livejournal.com]

That's what you said, not I :D

Anyways, self-confidence is a good thing.

Note to self: Keep that word in mind!