Hello, Diggers

Hello, diggers;
                 As this gets to you, I have just started putting my garden to bed for the year. Leaves raked, stuff is browning and dead. This is bittersweet for me because now I have no excuse not to do my housework!!
.                       I have lived in this little house since 1991 and it seems like every year there are new things I want to do to the many garden beds I have. As I make major mistakes or accomplishments, sharing them might help others along the way. So here we go........                                                                      .                                  This year I finally built the rose arbor I have had on my TOIT  list for many many years. The New Dawn rose was so tall that it already with trimming covers the top. Of course now this gave me an excuse to buy more climbers. I got a Joseph's Coat and another one that was obviously miss labeled.It was not yellow but very dark orchid and had full full flowers. I figure it is my gain.Smile Smile                                                                                                                               There is also a Chocolate Vine in there and a Passion Vine as well as many Obedient Plants. Another thing finished. A huge victory.                                                   Sometimes I get caught in the "eyes are bigger than my stomach" mode. This season I thought it would be nice to enlarge a bed on my property line. The land has been idle several years since the 3 decker was demolished. I have taken to cleaning it because it increases the "pretty" of my land as it is so close. I started this little project on June first and officially finished last week. About eight feet wide at it's widest point and about 65 feet long.There were many days I wanted to throw in the TROWEL if you get my point. Did I mention all the crabgrass!!!!!!!Roots are us!!! The neighbors were all cheering me on. It helped .This spring Lord Willing it will be a thing of great beauty.                                                                                                                                                      I had one last project to do this year. Because my back yard slopes down toward my back door, drainage came to be a problem. Here is where I feel I have to add a disclaimer. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1988 and some projects are just too big for me to tackle on my own. Well, the mason I hired was suggested by a friend. The first red flag should have gone up when I heard him ask a neighbor what to do!!In the future if this happens to you pick up your tools and say "no thanks" to anyone doing your work. Since that time, every three years I have had to empty this long drain of all crushed gravel,wash it in a pail, clean out the trench, clean the PVC pipe, and rebuild all over again. This gets old quick. Last year I improvised by covering the PVC with strips of cut screening and strips of landscape fabric.What a difference!!!!!!!!      
  My TOIT list now has a newer add. A small drain on the opposite side of my driveway to stop any water before it gets here! So on I plug, waiting for projects I do not need to get assistance with. By the way, we've had rain for 2 days and the drain works peachy.                                                                                                           So now I guess I will go and play with my great big 85 pound dog who has been waiting for me. His name is Butch. Keeping him out of my garden beds is a story for another day...Happy Digging!!