what goes up...
sometimes doesn't come down so easily...
It took less than two days to put up our pool, including the excavating, erecting the pool, installing the liner and filling it. It's taken me six days so far to take it down, and I still have a twenty seven foot diameter hole to fill, which is going to cost me almost two hundred and twenty dollars for top soil. And probably another two days to wheelbarrow it from the driveway to the other side of the Manor. Then I have to level it out, roll it and plant grass seed, which is best done in the early fall, so I'll have a wet, sandy mess until then. I still have to haul everything away, but at least I'll get a few bucks for the metal at the local scrap yard. I did end up with ten, eight foot long four by fours, so I guess I'll use them to make a border on one side of the driveway or something.
Garden-wise, the first moonflower of the season bloomed last night. I spent an hour this evening weeding the perennial beds and some of the annual beds, I haven't been at them for a long time because of the heat. My crape myrtle is in full bloom, finally. That is one frustrating shrub. Winter before last, it completely died and I cut it back to a stump and hoped for the best that some suckers would come up, which they did like mad. It seemed to grow overnight and set blooms in early July. This year it survived the winter, leafed out early and healthfully, but didn't start to set buds until after July fourth and just started to bloom a week ago. I will never figure that thing out. I'm also having a fit with a Piggyback Plant. It wilts when I set it outside, even in the shade, then I bring it into the cooler Manor, where it perks back up for a few days, then starts to wilt again, probably from not getting enough sun, or drying out from the a/c. So, I bring it outside again, to repeat the cycle. I've had it in all sorts of shaded locations, but nowhere seems to be the right place. My caladiums seem to be enjoying the front porch this year, they are huge. The leaves must be over a foot long and eight inches wide, I've never had them grow so large. Exceptionally colorful, too.
Well, I'm beat. I've been up since six thirty and tomorrow is another early day. I need to chase the lawn mower around for a few hours tomorrow, it's been almost two weeks since I had at it, because of the heat. I'm going to go wander around the grounds for a while and watch the moon rise, the climb into the coffin.
Have a wonderful evening, my fellow wanderers. Fare thee well.
wander with me...