15. This Means WAR!

Day 15: A Blog A Day In May

Yesterday I decided I'd had it. Did you know Twin Falls is the windy-est ( yes I know I spelled that one wrong....but it makes more sense when it's written that way I think) city in Idaho? Yep it sure is! So all the wind that you guys got for the past two weeks.....double it and that's what it's been like here. Needless to say, yard work has been impossible. The strong winds (we're talking 45 mph winds on a daily basis) make it impossible to spray fertilizer or weed-killer. Then it'd rain. Then it'd blow some more. For almost three weeks this is what it was like! So our lawn was ignored. We barely managed to cut the grass in the front (which everybody sees). But the back......oh the back. It was out of control. Dandelions GALORE. And the weeds, creeping to mid-thigh height. I couldn't take it anymore. I've declared war on the weeds! It was an OCEAN of yellow and white floaties. I just know they're gonna take the entire summer to kill off. We seriously considered tilling the whole thing and just starting from scratch. I don't know what'll be worse. (I'm sorry I didn't get a picture before I tackled the back.....it was truly emberassing though).

Parker went to Utah today to spend the day with his dad, his grandpa, and his little brother, who is going to Baltimore on his mission in a month and a half. So I was home with the kids and the yellow ocean. I decided to mow it. I started at 9:30 AM. I would work for about a half an hour, and then I'd have to quit and either feed the kids, feed myself, or just take a rest. A lawnmower bag full of grass is HEAVY! And I dumped probably over ten of them! The first 2 pictures are of AFTER I mowed the weeds. And by the way....the pictures make it look WAY better than it really is. There's hardly a trace of grass back there....it's just mowed dandelions.

Now the second picture.....is our raspberry patch. This house came with some pretty neat stuff...including some strawberries and the raspberries. But there's no organization to them! And they're THORNY! And they're HUGE vines that just crawl along the ground...so watch out for your feet! You don't always see those vines. They're EVERYWHERE! And there's no bed....they're just planted there in the grass. The pile on the left was my attempt about a month ago to dig them up. Don't worry....there's TONS of them! I just wanted to dig up a bunch, and then hopefully make a bed out of a FEW. I gave up. The roots are networked like the trees on Pandora. And it's laced with dandelions. By the way....I finished the back yard at noon. 2 and a half hours of hard work all by myself! So next, I'll show you a few other things this house came with:
Onions! I discovered them today while mowing the weeds. We did NOT plant them....but the people who were here before did have a garden, and I guess a few things come back on their own. Next:
Fruit trees! I'm pretty sure there's 2 peach trees, and then a small cherry tree. I hope the frost didn't kill our chances for fruit....one of these days I need to learn how to can (I have helped my mom several times....but I've never done it on my own). Next:

Many randomly-placed tulip bulbs! And a few rose-bushes. They are pictured here....but if you're distracted by the MOTE around the house, let me explain: It's the outline for our big flower bed to go around the front of the house. Complete with rock. Not finished yet though, so when we turn the sprinklers on, it looks like a mote.

Now: last but not least (my personal favorite)

A Lilac bush! Isn't it beautiful?! And it smells so good! It makes for some beautiful flowers INSIDE your house. Remember to give it lots of water! These things guzzle like CRAZY! I can burn a candle for an hour and get nothing. Then I put this vase on my table, and 5 minutes later the WHOLE HOUSE smells like lilacs! I wish they bloomed all year!

I realized today just how much I appreciate Parker. He would have mowed the back once he got home...I just didn't want to wait. And he's doing so many other things! Look what he did yesterday:Our mailbox used to be wedged right into that corner. We practically hit it every time we backed out of the garage. So Parker moved it over about 2 feet, and then put down the pavers, some ground-cloth, and more rock. Doesn't it looks so much better?!! He does so much around here. Even though at this point in our lives, I'm the one supporting the family financially.....I really don't think I could do it on my own. He keeps our place so nice. He keeps the bills paid. And right now he's even home with the kids every day. And I couldn't even begin to mention the love and support he gives me emotionally. That goes without saying. I'm glad there's two of us to take on this place and raise our kids. A house and home really isn't something to be done on your own. He really is wonderful. I'm glad we have eachother forever.

Wow....I didn't mean to end this on such a sentimental note....but I think it's better that way. Till tomorrow.....audios!