Busy Month

Lawn Before Weed Abatement
@bagarad (14283)
Paso Robles, California
April 28, 2019 2:41am CST
I'm still working hard at Medium, but I also have to take time for weed abatement. That picture is our front lawn three days ago. My husband finally got the weed eater out and with both of us working, we cleared the weeds from about one third of this lawn and the entire side yard between our driveway and the neighbor's property. I will leave the flowers and the herbs that spouted in the lawn as the wind carried the seeds from the mother plants and the rain watered them. I'm hoping they will spread. I'm thinking of transplanting some Lamb's Ears in it, too. That stuff smoothers anything in its path and seems to survive on no water. We still have trimmed branches to break up and I have to pull a lot of weeds from the other side of the house -- the part that the tree is hiding between the house and the oleander bushes. The tall weeds that now cover the lawn area are grassy types with almost no roots. I can simply grab them pull gently, and throw them in the green waste can. I will have to do that on the sloped side yard. I cleared about six square yards there today. We are supposed to finish all this by May 1 and we still have the backyard, to do. I'm worried because the work is breaking the blood vessels in Hubby's arms under the skin. Guess what. We aren't as strong as we used to be. He will be eighty in August and I turned 76 today. We're young at heart, but the body says we're not as young as we think we are. We were both totally wiped out when we came in tonight. Not the best way to spend a birthday, but better than going out to celebrate and getting farther behind. Tomorrow we rest and we'll eat lunch out then. Have you been doing any outdoor projects this month?
15 people like this
15 responses
@LadyDuck (457814)
• Switzerland
28 Apr 19
I am doing the same, I am pulling out weeds, I have also mowed the lawn, it really needed a trim.
3 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
30 Apr 19
@LadyDuck We don't really have a lawn. We let it die because of the drought. It normally doesn't grow because we don't water it. But the rains made the grassy weeds grow over a foot high during the rainy season. Now it's starting to die, but we have to cut it and get rid of it.
2 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
29 Apr 19
We no longer have a lawn mower. We didn't think we'd need one after the gardener quit. We weren't watering the lawn and thought we'd just use the string cutter to get the few weeks that grew. We weren't counting on the drought ending and getting much more rain than usual.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (457814)
• Switzerland
29 Apr 19
@bagarad I use my lawn mower once a week from May to mid September, a gardener is very expensive here, I do the work.
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203454)
• Nashville, Tennessee
28 Apr 19
Have been doing a few things with the plants and birds. Knee injuries slowed me down.
2 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
29 Apr 19
Knee injuries can certainly slow one down. My arthritic thumb has made the manual job much harder for me this year.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
8 May 19
@CarolDM Wow. I hope you get better soon. I think I'll just have to learn to live with my inflamed thumb.
1 person likes this
@CarolDM (203454)
• Nashville, Tennessee
30 Apr 19
@bagarad Yes I sprained both of my knees seven weeks ago and still in pain. Doing exercise and using ice every day.
1 person likes this
• China
28 Apr 19
Happy birthday to you ! You should treat yourselves to eating out,as clearing the weeds had worn you out.I wonder if the yellow flowers in the photo are dandelions.
2 people like this
• China
29 Apr 19
@bagarad I haven't grown the kale.Here dandelions are commonly used herbal medicine that have lots of medicinal properties.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
29 Apr 19
There are three kinds of yellow flowers in the lawn. The large orange ones are calendula. The large yellow ones are gazanias. There are also a few dandelions -- more than a few -- but they are so low to the ground they aren't showing in this photo. Some of the kale is also starting to produce yellow flowers. It will reseed unless I decide to stop it. I have quite enough kale.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
30 Apr 19
@changjiangzhibin89 I sometimes toss them in my salads.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (95015)
• Marion, Ohio
28 Apr 19
I have got a few done working around the weather. You deserve a break day.
2 people like this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
29 Apr 19
And we did take a break. I hope whoever enforces the May 1 deadline will have a grace period.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40049)
• Laguna Woods, California
2 May 19
@bagarad - There always seems to be work which needs to be done around the house! I'm sure you were wiped out by the time you were finished, but also felt as if it was totally worth it!
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
8 May 19
I'm still wiped out. I think I've developed an allergy to something out there. A week ago I developed a terrible rash on my back after coming in exhausted after pulling the weeds. I felt sick the next day. Rested a day or two, went back out Saturday and the rash got worse. It's very itchy and interferes with sleep. I thought I'd been bitten by something, but it doesn't look quite like bites. A friend who used to be a nurse said it looks like an allergic reaction, though it only affected my back, which was covered as I worked. Strange.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
12 May 19
@DeborahDiane It's better today -- not as itchy and I haven't used the aloe vera for three days now. I did start coughing when I went outside to take photos.
1 person likes this
• Laguna Woods, California
8 May 19
@bagarad - Oh, dear! I hope you figure out what caused the rash, so you can avoid it in the future. Hopefully, it is not shingles!! The sun can aggravate shingles. Take care, get rest, and hopefully it will go away.
1 person likes this
23 May 19
Good job! I've replanted prickly pear cactus plants, harvest olives this week, rake autumn leaves and bag them for mulch, collect twigs and branches and chopped redgum for firewood. So, far that's about it.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
23 May 19
We've still got lots of bags that would not fit into our green waste bin. Do you at the fruit from your prickly pear cactus?
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
24 May 19
@everwonderwhy I once tasted one of the fruits at farmers market, but the one I tasted didn't have much taste at all. It wasn't very sweet at all. You probably get your when it's very fresh off the plant. The peaches and apricots I get at farmers market aren't nearly as good as the ones I used to be able to pick from my trees just when they were at the peak of flavor.
1 person likes this
23 May 19
@bagarad They’re sweet.
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
7 May 19
ooppss ! I guess I am way too late on this post. hope you had a great celebration.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
8 May 19
Actually, we didn't bother celebrating. I preferred to just rest. We did go out to lunch the day after. Somehow celebrations don't seem necessary anymore.
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
7 May 19
you go girl. you sure are beating this ageing thing. Happy birthday and many more. at this rate you both could reach one hundred . They tell me I would do better if I could just move more but I feel too tired and dizzy and my heart doesn't seem up to it. I wish I had not let my strength get this bad after breaking my foot. have a great celebration tomorrow.
1 person likes this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
13 May 19
@bagarad lets hope you can manage girl and not procrastinate like I do. you go. I have faith in you
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
14 May 19
@bunnybon7 Thank you. I'm trying.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
13 May 19
I really need to get out and walk more. I miss it when I don't, and I'm gaining weight and getting out of breath more easily when I shouldn't.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130066)
• India
29 Apr 19
I only have a lawn on the terrace and I get help to do the weeding done It is a small patch and so not much work. A job well done is one way to celebrate a birthday Happy Birthday
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
29 Apr 19
I only wish it were done. We took this day off and went out to lunch and rested. We will have to work harder tomorrow and it may rain. Rain was forecast for today and that's why we didn't work.
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14752)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
9 May 19
This is a really busy month for projects here too. Just that time of year and so much to do, isn't there? It would be nice to hire a team to do it for us, but that is not going to happen.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
12 May 19
I wish I could hire someone to do what needs doing, but it's not that easy to delegate things I have to make decisions about.
@marlina (154166)
• Canada
12 May 19
Lots of work for sure. I can no longer do as much as could. And it is bothering me a lot. I love doing the yard work but now it is too difficult, can only do a "tiny bit".
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
28 Apr 19
I do not have a yard so no outdoor projects.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
29 Apr 19
I guess that's good if you prefer it that way. I'd miss having flowers and veggies.
1 person likes this
@mrki444 (15150)
• Croatia (Hrvatska)
28 Apr 19
Can you compare Medium and MyLot?
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
28 Apr 19
That is some serious grass growing! Glad you got it done, have fun at lunch!!!
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
29 Apr 19
We did enjoy our lunch, but the quality of the meal and value for the money at this favorite restaurant had gone down since the last time we were there. I think we'll go to our favorite Chinese restaurant next time.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
29 Apr 19
@bagarad we've had the same experience many times!
1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
28 Apr 19
Wow, that's a lot to weed out really. And you are both doing the weeding out manually, though until May 1. Slowly, because as you said are now getting a bit old already.
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
28 Apr 19
I'm doing it manually. Hubby is using a battery operated string trimmer. It's just that he'd pretty frail and it's pretty heavy.
1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
29 Apr 19
@bagarad Good luck then, on having it all trimmed. I hope your hubby can do it without getting too tired.
1 person likes this
@bagarad (14283)
• Paso Robles, California
30 Apr 19
@SIMPLYD He's really doing better than we expected, but I don't think we can finish on time. I think he'll finish the front, and I have been working on the side. Nobody has yet had time to do the back.
1 person likes this