Lots of Changes

Saturday was a big day of cleaning, packing and tossing stuff out. Who really knew you could pile this much stuff on the stop of a dryer? Yep, got it all put away. Dyed another blanket. This one is Emily's. I get the Tye-dye effect since the washer is way too small for it, but that's better than the mess in the tub.

This little cutie kept me company while I cleaned. I have a few final touch-ups and then I'll show you the before and after. It's shocking.

LOVE IS....when your husband brings home a truckload of dirt.

Love may not be all the work that dirt will involve. I started out lining the rocks up (they are getting lost in the grass!). For reference the fence is 100 feet long and we are going to the end. I ran out of rock so Nick helped me get another load. Still a couple short, but left that for later.

Nick helped me dig the trench. It's like cutting concrete with a shovel. Not a lot of fun. In fact we were sick of it by this point. We took the clumps to Daisy's pen where they'll get trampled down and will fill it back in. A lot of tree roots are being exposed.

Nick cut chunks half way down and then went skateboarding. I finished cleaning out this far and hauled it away. Then I hauled up one load of compost so it won't take so much of the expensive soil.

Then I shovelled two trailers of dirt to fill to that point. Nick brought Elijah home and they shovelled a little bit into the greenhouse at which point Elijah started in whining. Since Nick had worked most of the day I let him leave to Prakash's for the night. Elijah shovelled one more trailer load and then got nasty with me. He informed me it was my dirt and I could move it. Oh, don't you love angry, young and poor. They are so much smarter than we are! Fine. I'm stubborn, too. You don't want to help your old ma that's okay. I am not afraid of work. Of course, he is confined to his room without his computer and cell phone. It's going to be a long summer for Elijah. Growing up is hard to do.

(Side note: He went to town all day with the understanding he would work in the evening. Nick worked during the day and got to go at night. Having them work together is major torture for me. Not even worth it. Elijah is famous for not holding up his end of the deal. It's going to be a hard lesson to learn.).

Earlier in the day this was the pond with a little rain water.

By 11:00pm this is where it was. I think Dad hauled 10 loads which equals 20,000 gallons. Five more loads will top it off. Maybe next weekend. I'm tickled with this. Looks so much better now. Let me tell you it is cold...straight out of the well at 37*. I waded in and it's definitely numbing! Hope we have some sunny days soon.

My spinach is doing great. I'm going to have to start picking some each night now. The lettuce is coming along and the peas are doing their thing.


And a chicken shot....everyone is doing great. The ravens quit coming around after we put the net up and it seems the visit from the nightly fox doesn't matter because no one is missing. The only problem I still have is neighborhood dogs. The were in the pool, in my gardens, in my trash and they crap in the yard. A neighbor just had her rabbits killed by three dogs running together. One was eight years old and the breeding stock for her show bunnies. Loose dogs is a real issue in Alaska. Everyone thinks because we live in The Last Frontier anything goes. I'm running out of patience.


Well, friends. Lots to do today. I currently can feel every muscle in my body and have numbing in my hands and arms (which is normal for me when I do back labor). I think I bruised the bottom of my feet and my left knee is toast. But will that stop me? Heck no! I'm trying to teach Nick that will a lot of determination you can accomplish things that seem impossible. He's been doing so much around the house and has been so helpful. I've got one more year to instill every positive life lesson I can. I think he's starting to get some of them. :)