The Dog Days of April...

We were teased this weekend with ridiculously warm weather.  

Such joy!  

Of course, next week will be cold enough to wipe away our audacity to wear shorts and sandals... 

Back to coats and socks, you fools!  

But this weekend.....so delicious!  

I have been longing to get dirt under my nails, 

to attempt to repair the disaster that is my yard. 

(defunct yard heater, headed to the alley...)

Two years ago, my front and back yards were, dare I say, lush?  

Hydrangeas, hostas, roses, daisies, ferns, impatiens, 

forget-me-knots, poppies and carpets of grass....  

Now look at it...dirt, rocks, piles of hardened concrete...so depressing. 

I thought perhaps a sepia tint to the carnage might give it a historical look,

like all this mess is in the past...  

I crack myself up...

It looks crappy today! 

I wish one of those HGTV fix it shows would miraculously arrive 

 and create the landscape of my dreams....

 Back to reality...

Notice the huge rusty nail, sticking out of our house, in the gangway...

It's just waiting to stab a kid running by...

Hello, tetanus!

I finally got my dear husband to bend it to a safe angle until he will remove it altogether...

The contractor promised he would return on Monday to finish the job and he'd better show...

I might send a posse of sleep deprived, sugar enhanced children for him otherwise.....  

So this weekend, armed with a rake, compost and determination, 

I cleared the rest of the flotsam from the front and back yards, 

hand tilled the front and back gardens, seasoning them with compost, 

planted beans, lettuce, lilies, tulips, daffodils and hyacinths, 

cleaned out the garage 

and did all the weekend chores like laundry, dishes, 

cleaning up after everyone, etc.  

One thing is clearly apparent:  

I do not have the body of a twenty-something anymore.  

OMG....

I need ibuprophen at two hour intervals....

Only my eyelashes do not hurt.  

My mom always said, "Hire a kid, you get a kid"  

and it couldn't be truer... 

The kids were all about helping mommy dig and plant for, oh about 15 minutes.  

Then their short term attention spans took off for water fights and general outdoor mayhem.  

Trust me, I prefer it this way....

Let them tire themselves out while I get some real work done.  

Later, when their meters ran out, the kids  first decided 

camping in the living room was a cool idea.  

That was Friday night and amazingly, they slept in the tent all night.  

Today, after a particularly boisterous water fight, they lolled in front of the TV.  

These pics look like perhaps they were mesmerized for hours, 

but these position changes were over a ten minute period.  

If Kate's feet were any blacker I'd have her checked for ringworm....  

Storms are headed this way, I hope.  

The ground needs a good soaking so my little baby seeds and bulbs can take root.  

Spring is 'a comin' and I can't wait to turn armageddon back into an oasis...