The good news is that I was able to scratch two items off of my list yesterday. I Mulched the new bushes that we planted a few months ago, as well as the row of bushes by the "dog area" and around the rose that a friend gave us as an anniversary gift. I also managed to head out to Chesterland with Cody last night to pick up our friends truck. Oh, and I almost forgot! I picked up my niece's birthday present, too.
So all that weeding that needed to be done didn't get done. That laundry basket full of clothes that needs to be put away is still balance precariously on the knee wall at the top of the stairs. My office? Still a complete and utter mess.
I, in my infinite wisdom, decided that yesterday would be the *perfect* time to tackle another project that has been on my "want to" list for quite some time. I completely rehabbed the "island" flower bed in the middle of the back yard. My crazy ass dug out every plant (except for a 98% dead Japanese maple), turned the soil, and replanted (almost)everything.
I. Am. Sore.
While not 100% what I would want, I think it turned out halfway decent. I have issues with some of the plants that we have (mostly due to the frequency of thinning needed, which is what spurred this project), but as they are some of Cody's favorites, I used quite a bit of them in the re-planting. It looks a little odd, especially since the majority of the plants are done blooming. So, just like years past, I will eagerly be awaiting spring so I can see how nature takes what I have done and adds it's own spice.
I now have three buckets full of extra gladiolas and two buckets full of coreopsis to rid myself of. I did reuse the coreopsis in a couple of areas, but since it spreads like mad, I didn't need to use much. The gladiolas were pretty much the main reason I dug the bed out. They were so thick that when I replanted them, I used less than a quarter of what I had, and that's actually more than I personally would have liked, but as this is another of Cody's beds that I have taken over, I have to respect his preferences in the plants I use.
All that shoveling, digging, kneeling, stooping, stretching, hoeing, raking, re-digging, planting and stooping some more has had a seriously negative effect on my body. Not only am I not used to that kind of work for that duration of time, but I am SO out of shape. I keep *intending* to work out with my Tai Chi DVD on a regular basis, but haven't followed through on that. I also have a couple of youtube videos bookmarked on my computer for doing some relatively simple at-home workouts. So far the most energy I've spent on those is moving the mouse to "Add Bookmark".
Luckily, today will involve a lot of sitting and not too much physical exertion. Unfortunately, that also means more time for my muscles to tighten up even more. So I'll definitely be trying to stretch a bit throughout the day.
This morning we'll be heading to downtown Cleveland for "Open Air in Market Square" to man the first shift at our church's informational booth. We're then headed off to Fremont to see my family. We'll go to Josh's first to pick up a truckload of sandstone pavers that he has been saving for us (hence borrowing our friends pickup truck). Then we'll be off to mom & dad's to celebrate my birthday and my niece's birthday. We're doing it a bit early this year, since between our schedule and mom & dad's schedule, it had to be either this weekend or not until the end of August.
I'm kind of excited. I usually don't care too much about birthday's (except the years that a true realization of my age sneaks up behind me), but this will be the first time that I'll be able to celebrate my birthday with my family including Cody by my side. It's also the first time that Cody will be with both mom & dad and Josh's family at the same time. My nieces are enamored with him, so hopefully mom and dad have gotten comfortable enough with all of this that their reaction to seeing him won't be an issue.
I'm not too concerned since we'll be going to Josh's first and they'll be able to get most of the screaming out of their system. Not to mention that when we're at Mimi and Papa's, the girls pretty much want to play on the computer or the X-box.
Speaking of the girls, I still have to wrap those presents before we leave, and I'm not even close to having everything else ready to go. I think that means I need to stop typing and get my sore ass off this couch.
...and yes, by the way, I do intend to get some pictures up soon. For those who just can't wait, head to my Flickr page...
