Springtime Gardening

Monday night I fell into bed and was asleep before my head hit the pillow. After I wrote my Monday Daybook, I went outside to pull weeds from the long winding garden bed that goes back to the end of the yard. I pulled couch grass, dandelions and a tall flowering weed that I don't know the name of, but it was trying to choke out everything in its path. I needed to get it pulled up before it went to seed. For the rest of the summer I will have to check out that bed occasionally and keep pulling them out by the roots every time I find one. I would love to put down some mulch but it would cost too much, so I will continue to put down my shredded paper as mulch. (I have been collecting it all winter). I spent 3 or 3 1/2 hours outside pulling weeds and my muscles were very sore by the end of it.

 Bleeding hearts are really doing well in the side garden.

 My front garden bed.  The golden alyssum is blooming since the week-end and the forget-me-nots are spilling over the border.

These pink tulips showed up in the back garden bed that I weeded on Monday. I didn't plant them, so I am guessing the squirrels have been busily planting  for me.

I face timed my sister and mother before making dinner of pork chops and roasted vegetables.

Yesterday it rained almost the whole day. It would have been the perfect day to do some housework indoors, but I decided instead  to read and answer some emails and make out a card for my DIL in Vancouver. I got it in the post just in time for mail pickup. I cleaned off my kitchen counters and washed them down before having leftover pork chops and veggies for supper.

Today was another beautiful sunny day. I hung out a load of laundry before I decided to get my lab work done this morning.  I drove to First Choice Hair Cutters on the way home to have my hair trimmed ($22 with tip). Once home, I changed into some work clothes and went outside to cut the front and back lawns. I also weeded some more garden beds in the back yard. I made up a gallon of salted vinegar and applied some to my brick walkway but didn't finish because I got talking with my next door neighbour. I came inside to make up some more weed killer when my friend arrived for a visit. (He has recently been told his cancer is in remission, but his energy has not yet returned.) He told me he would still like to buy Rick's van but money is very tight right now because he hasn't been able to return to work. We talked about the possibility of him doing some work around the house in exchange for the van and some of the tools in the shed. I would buy the materials and he could pick the days when he felt up to working a few hours. I think we could both benefit. Hopefully we can come to an arrangement that will make us both happy, as long as it doesn't interfere with his recuperation.

I have broken down some corrugated cardboard boxes and tied them up into bundles for paper recycling tomorrow. I have also set out two recycle boxes of  thin cardboard and newspaper. I still have to walk over to the Pop In Convenience store to pick up my garbage tags. Still have not done that. Then I can stop for the day. Supper is a veggie stir fry with chicken thighs baked with Nathalie's 10 Things Farm Chicken Seasoning. Love that stuff.