Where is the End?

I feel like I'm never going to get to the end of the have-to-finish pre-snow chores. Never mind the  would-like-to-finish and the we'll-never-get-to-them chores. I can honestly say I've never been this tired or felt this much pain in my arms and back this many days in a row. Now I'm starting to deal with the mental part that says "go ahead and quit" when I know I can't. Hence the reason I am sitting here blogging this morning rather than outside shoveling. That and it's 36*. Boo!

Yesterday after hauling compost to six or seven more beds I decided to tackle the 110-foot bed along the fence. This one did not get done last Fall and was sorely avoided this Spring resulting in it getting planted way to late.

Everything is so stark and grey with the leaves gone.

 At this point I was down to the last thirty feet. My arms were shaking from weeding and tilling. What's that I see?

Millie was having a blast rolling in the pile of leaves the girls made (that I mowed around).

This is also the point at which I wanted to cry and quit I was so tired. I never did get it raked smooth.

 Millie is quite the vole hunter which is precisely why she cannot be in the gardens with me in the summer. Oh the damage she would do!

She's had ZERO training and is still an unbelievably cool dog. Her hunting instincts are obvious with her keen sense of smell. When she thinks she has it located she freezes, tail erect and points (see her leg?). I think she would have made a hunter a loyal useful companion. At our house she's just a pet which is probably a waste of her talents.

Yesterday I asked Nick to move the dozen or so rocks out of the ditch to the liner. He did. Would have been nice if he would have done them all. *sigh* He's so easily side-tracked.

Nick was laid off. It's really bull how employers expect a two week notice if you are going to quit, but they do not give the same kind of warning. Wednesday at 3:00 he and another worker were called into the office and told that their season was over. No indication had been given to them at any point. It would have been nice if they would have said something last week or at least at the beginning of this week so he could start looking for another job. Not that he's all that motivated. I'm starting to think my son is stuck at 16 and may never go on his own. This is evidenced by his really cool Ninja tree climbing equipment he recently purchased.  You know, because scaling trees quickly is important in the adult world. Yes, his dad thought it was cool, too. Now you know what I am up against living with three teenage boys (yes, I included my husband in that equation).

I shoveled and shoveled until I wanted to cry. Large rock like this does not shovel easily. Here is the fire pit area before with gravel....

...and here it is with 3-6 inches of washed larger rock. Not sure if you can tell the difference in the photos, but it really is huge. It will be much cleaner as well.

The forecast called for rain/snow today and snow tomorrow so last night I stopped with the beds and blew the leaves at the end of the pond and in Daisy's pen. Once they are wet I wouldn't be able to.

All cleaned up and in the compost bins.

Found one last petunia plant for which she was grateful.

It isn't currently raining or snowing at my house so I will now go out and gather up my hoses, sprinklers, pots and miscellaneous garden stuff all over the yard. After that there are six more small beds to clean out plus the greenhouse. Then "my" chores will be done and I can move on to family chores of toys, bikes, garbage, wood, etc. that needs taken care of. And really the numbing shooting pain in my shoulders and arms is screaming no, but my determination is still saying yes.

*if you are interested in composting I did an entire post about my process and what I was contributing to it yesterday at My Alaska Garden.