Thank God for that rain, eh?  We didn’t get much here in the County but boy, did we need it.   I have spent the last week hosing and that rain saved the day.

Have you been thinking about me this week?  This was the week they were coming to work on my front landscaping.  This was the week that Warren and I had to dig up all of our existing shrubs and perennials in preparation for the heavy equipment coming in.  At any point in this hot sweltering week did you your mind turn and consider how I was doing?  Probably not. Luckily you have this blog to give you all of the details in full descriptive prose.  Prepare to be caught up.

The workers had finished widening the driveway and extending the flagstone walk. The final stage of the project was digging up my existing front beds and replacing the bad  root-ladened dirt with rich healthy soil.   On our part we had to prepare the work site and remove all of the existing shrubs and perennials before the heavy digging could begin.

Warren and I were procrastinating.  It was just too darn hot.  I worried that we would kill the five shrubs and twenty-odd perennials if we pulled them out too early.  The temperature was up in the high 80’s so we decided to leave the work until the final hour, just before the landscapers returned.      By 8 a.m. on Monday morning Warren and I were on site with shovels in hand.  Warren is not a willing gardener and I really appreciated his support with the heavy lifting.   In spite of the early hour the sun was already strong and beating down on our dirty moist faces. Moments into the task and sweat was freely pouring from every gland in my body.   We are too old for this shit.  Suddenly Warren broke into a loud string of profanity.  What had happened?  Was he hurt?  No… just an evil horse fly had bit his hand.  We worked on but Warren didn’t try to hide his displeasure. He was not a happy gardener.

By 9 a.m. the work site was cleared of all plants.  Our job was done.  We had filled every conceivable container and stored the poor plants in the shade of the front porch.   Just in time, as the  pick-up trucks, bobcat, front-end loader and three strong shirtless young workers arrived moments later.

It took a full day on Monday to remove the old soil from the garden, bring in two dump trucks of triple mix and shape out the new beds.  Yards of sod were laid on both sides of the driveway and up the front walk.  Goodbye old dirt.  Hello nice fluffy nutrient rich soil.  I  could smell the manure in the triple mix.  This was good stuff.

The grass on my front lawn took a beating with the heavy equipment.  On Tuesday they finished the edging along the new widen driveway and laid more sod.  They sprinkled grass seed in the ruts and tire marks.  The job was done as far as the landscapers were taking it.  The rest of the project was left with me.

Tuesday night I watered the sod and patches of grass seed.

Wednesday morning I watered the sod and patches of grass seed and dug the holes where the five shrubs would be replanted.  That was enough for me.  Boy, it was hot.

Wednesday evening I watered the sod and patches of grass seed and then harvested all of my strength and dragged the shrubs into the holes.  After a short break,  I then  replanted ten of the larger perennials. This was done in short bursts.  When the sweat started to run into my eyes and over my lips I would drag myself inside for half an hour, cool off, drink a water and re-energize.

On Thursday morning I watered sod and the patches of grass seed and noticed that the sod was not doing well.  There was definite signs of brown along the edges.  What we needed was rain.

We get all of our water from a ground well.  All week I was worrying that my wasteful spraying of water on my lawn would cause our well to go dry.  Were my neighbours watching me?  Did they silently share my concern?    I checked the weather network for a forecast of rain.  Perhaps on Friday night.

On Thursday night and Friday morning I again stood outside with the hose and poured water on the sod.  It was not looking good.   Who plans to lay sod in July during a heat wave/draught?  Fool! Fool! Fool!   What bad planning.  Potentially a lot of money was being wasted here.

Late of Friday afternoon there was a tornado watch.  Storms were happening right across Ontario.  I could see very dark clouds rolling in to the north. A considerable wind tore  the leaves in a frenzy and scattered the grass seed.  Some one was getting rain but not in the County.  Half at hour later the sun was again beating down on us. The storm had blown over.

At nine o’clock we had a few big drops of rain splash down but not enough to soak the parched ground.  At ten o’clock there was a sporadic shower.  It wasn’t a soak but everything did get wet.

This morning I was out there again with the hose; watering the sod and patches of grass seed.  We are barely hanging in.

Before

After

We need a good two days of rain but otherwise,  I’m pretty happy.