Slow Progress.....for now

The front yard is coming along, even though at this point it doesn't look much different.   We had to get some help for the huge job of digging the trenches behind the fence.  It would have taken 3 weeks or more to get thru this concrete dirt.  This was quite the machine........

Working the trenches has a whole new meaning!!!!  An entire day with the rented beast and they are all finished!!!!!

Accidently chewed thru the water main, and one of the main lines that feed the hose bibs in the back yard!!!!  Had to get the house water back on so repairing that made the day even longer!!!!!

Another long week on this project, so we headed to the beach on my day off, but only for a half day, since the back yard water still needed to be fixed!!!!

A day of cleaning out the ditches and digging up more old water supply lines.  Then a day of figuring out and buying all the supplies that were needed, and then yesterday starting to build the new irrigation.....YEA!!!!

We didn't want the hose bib in the front yard to run thru the middle of all the new plants, so we moved it over by the driveway and put a 2nd one around towards the back yard, behind the gate.  This job required the lifting of some of the walkway pavers and then more digging......by hand!!!     Soooo, the high pressure pipes are in and solid and buried,

and a good part of the low pressure, landscape irrigation is built and ready to bury!!!!!    Then comes the fun job of filling the ditches and then moving the left over dirt to the back yard....hopefully there won't be much left over dirt!!!!!

The look of the yard should change pretty quickly once all the ditches are filled.

Found a great new recipe that I tried on Friday night.......Basil, tomato Talapia....... YUM!!!!

The fun part was that the tomato and basil came from our garden.  I am really looking forward to having a real garden next year.  I love going out to see what is ripe and ready to eat!!!

I also tried a dessert that one of my customers recommended....we have SOO many figs right now.......

I put some Feta cheese in the center of split figs, then baked them and drizzled them with honey......they were tasty, but I think I prefer them raw.

Still looking for more fig recipes if you have any to share!!!!

With all that is going on in the front yard, it is easy to ignore the back yard.  It continues to grow though so yesterday was catch up day while the irrigation was being built in front.

   It was only a matter of time before I totally cut thru my extension cord!!!!!  Luckily I had gotten most of my triming done before this happened!!!!   This is why I didn't buy an expensive cord!!!!

Mel offered the use of his expensive cord so I could finish, but I decided that might not be a good idea!!!!!  hee hee   I just need to find a steel coated one!!!!

I finally got my Tropicanna planted.

 the pot was a little contorted because the plant had already produced a few new stalks and they were getting crowded.   I think it will be happy where I planted it, but we can always dig it up if we need to. ( no, the plant is not planted crooked.....that is me and my camera!!!!   :-)        )

I saw some Hawaiian Red Ti plants at Home Depot that I was just dying to buy, but I didn't!!!!!  (I wonder how long they will be there....... hee hee)

I'm happy to say that finally ALL of the mulch is spread!!!  There were still a couple areas that I needed to weed before I could spread it all, but that is DONE!!!!!  YIPEE!!!

I don't even want to admit that we need more, eventually!!!!

We had a thunder storm yesterday late afternoon.  Of course, this is when we are trying to get the pipes buried!!!!   The water felt good so we just continued with our job and let it rain on us.   I think it continued after dark.  I don't think we got any measurable amount, but the plants loved the shower I am sure!!!!

Hopefully I'll have more pics to share soon!!!

Have a great week!!!!