Working Outside in Cooler Weather

All this week I have pretty much stayed inside out of the hot muggy weather. The exception was Tuesday when I started up the lawn mower and cut the front lawn. When I took it around to the back, it refused to start up again. I went out a few times to try again, but nothing. And before you suggest (like everyone else) that I check the gas, I filled the tank before I started. I love my push mower because it is so easy to start normally. Just one or two pulls and the machine starts right up. Anyways, each day this week I have gone out a few times JUST to try starting the mower, but no luck. This morning when I went out, I noticed right away what a gorgeous day it was. There were cooler temperatures and lots of breeze, so I decided to stay outside and weed.

This is one of those occasions when I wished I had taken a "before" photo. The garden was overgrown with weeds taller than myself. Grass and weeds were growing through the cracks in the brick pathway. My yellow twig dogwood was so overgrown, you couldn't walk on the pathway at all because the branches had grown out in the way. I took innumerable ( as in, I lost count) wheel barrow loads of branches and weeds to the compost pile in the back. The weeds were so thick they had choked out any flowers that had been growing once. Once I ammend this soil, I will transplant some flowers back in here. Before I came back into the house at 12:30, I put 1/2 gallon of my weed killer down between the bricks. Later, when it cools back down, I will go out and sweep these bricks clean.

Here I have taken the same picture from further away, so you get an idea from the foreground what I was up against as far as weeds are concerned. There are still branches that jut out into the path, but it is much better now. At least you can walk past.

My front flower bed is looking a little sad right now. I have some Rose Campion (fushia coloured), some mallow (soft pink), and my yucca plant called Adam's needle, is just starting to flower. In this front corner of the bed I have no less than 6 stalks as tall as me. They will look spectacular when they are all opened. All three of these flowering plants thrive in the hot dry earth. The front yard which I described on Monday as still green, is no longer. It is getting very brown and crunchy. We need rain. For the first time this summer, I had to go outside earlier in the week to water my barrel planters. My hanging planters I water every morning.

 In this planter notice one of the geraniums that I over wintered inside. This was a red and white Martha Washington from last year. There is no white this year. The flowers are larger and the most gorgeous deep  red. They seem to be thriving this year.

So what have I been doing the last few days inside in the air conditioning? Well.... between puttering and being crafty, I have kept myself busy. I have made a few birthday cards ahead in my stash. I went to Amherstview to Shoppers Drug Mart yesterday to buy milk and cottage cheese that were both on sale. I also picked up 3 Listerine  pocket packs on sale, spending  a total of $16.22, but saving $10.74 off the regular prices. I have been to the Post Office both to send out mail and to pick up some more letters from my youngest grandson. I had to pick up another roll of 100 stamps that cost $96.05   Hopefully, this will last me through Christmas.

So that is it. I am getting caught up with some blogs and reading about Nathalie's great vacation trip. But for the first time in a long time, I may lie down for a couch nap this afternoon. Working in the sun has made me a bit fatigued. Bye bye for now.