Gardening - Part 1

I had grand plans of getting our yard in picture perfect condition while my parents were here visiting.  Roy took them to Lowe's one evening for Mom to pick out soil and plants and a rake and all sorts of other yard things.  The next day Mom, Leighton and I got to work while Riley took a super long nap.  Papa also napped.  And read.  And came out to supervise once or twice :) 

Leighton worked hard and did a great job digging up weeds and helping plant.  Grandma worked hard planting and weeding.  And, believe it or not, I also worked hard out there.  I raked up giant piles of leaves and random debris in the yard.

It was a cool and drizzly afternoon, and after we'd been out there a few hours, I realized it was time for snack and Riley to wake up, so we decided to pack it in for the day.  Just as we did, the thunder got louder, the clouds got darker, and the rain starting coming down really heavy.  And the rain didn't stop for the next couple of days!  It just got harder.  And our yard turned into a swamp yet again.  Most of my piles of leaves remained, but some floated away so I could have the joy of raking them up all over again! 

I am sitting and looking around at the yard right now and see all the work we had accomplished, but also how much more we have to go.  So there will be a part 2 ... and likely a part 3 and 4 to this gardening adventure.  So my parents need to get back here for another visit pronto!  Our landlady is going to have a landscaper/gardener come have a look at the drainage (or lack there of) in the yard, and maybe we can see about getting some nicer grass too.

I will keep you posted with pictures of the fruits of our labor when the vegetables start growing - we planted beans, carrots, habanero peppers, tomatoes, flowers, and lavender to hopefully help with the mosquitoes!