Spring Cleaning

My cheeks are a wee bit pink. I’m fair skinned and just a few hours outside today (in the shade!) have left me with a slight sunburn. It was worth it though.

After the dear appliance people delivered my NEW STOVE AND REFRIGERATOR, I squatted in the driveway to assemble my new wheelbarrow. I’d be damned if I was going to pay the Home Depot people an extra $10 for an assembled wheelbarrow. I then proceeded to tour the yard and fill the barrow. I pulled up the mysterious corn-stalk-like plants, deadheaded the hydrangea, picked up 1000 fir cones, cleared the lawn of branches, and snipped dead annuals. I dumped at least 5 wheelbarrow loads into my new compost pile (no bin built yet).

I learned why you are supposed to rake up your leaves in the fall. Left on the lawn, the grass beneath them dies. Left on the sidewalk or driveway, they compost themselves to mud. I raked and swept what I could. I need to get a shovel to get the rest of it off the driveway.

I’ll be visiting my nieghborhood Home Depot tomorrow for more tools. I need a spade, a shovel, and a lawn edger. Question: can you use a spade as an edger, or is worth investing in a separate tool?

Overall, I had a lovely time outside. As my sunburn indicates, it was sunny. The temperature reached 52. My neighbors might have thought I was odd, but I enjoyed crawling about the wet lawn, tossing fir cones into the wheelbarrow. I had an up-close view of spring’s stirrings. There are quite a few unknown bulbs sending up leaves. The mint (whose woody leftovers I trimmed today) is vigorously beginning its growing season. One of the most exciting parts of owning a pre-owned home is the surprises the first spring brings.