Well, well, well, lookie here for those counting retaining wall bricks included in the 5.5 tons of products in our yard.
As Mr. and I stood admiring the soon to be new retaining wall pile of materials being placed in our yard, we discussed the project with the neighbors who had heard the loud sounds of the hydraulics of the delivery truck and stopped by to see what we were up to.
That’s the moment we officially became known in the neighborhood as the folks that may have underestimated the work involved in our summer project.
We watched in awe as 9999 #s (give or take several hundred) were delivered to our yard on Tuesday. Tuesday, not Thursday.
The delivery truck and driver, aka, the remote controller were amazing to watch. Mr. greeted him in the driveway to discuss where the pile should go.
The driver said, “I can place the pallets 42 feet from the truck.”
Mr., keeping his fingers crossed that the driveway wouldn’t cave in with the weight of the truck as it was said, “Um, I don’t really want you driving in the yard and the project is in the backyard, so right here will be just fine.”
“Okay, there it is.” I’m assuming he chuckled a bit to himself about how the two gray-haired folks watching him work were going to move the shipment after he left it there.
The remote controller got the truck set up and ready to unload in record speed.
I watched and took photos, of course. A lot of photos. It only took 1/2 hour to unload all that weight. WOW. The arm of the lift said 255K!
Once the delivery was complete, things heated up. The project became instantly real. So Mr. went grocery shopping. I’m assuming to let his thoughts settle and to plan for what kind of physical labor was ahead for him and to have nourishing meals for the week.
The weather heated up too. So I opened the windows for the first time since last October.
It was instant summer. The pastel blue skies were so exciting to see with the clouds floating like cotton balls across them. The maple tree leaves started to sprout. The birds were singing. I was thinking to myself, “We survived the longest winter ever!”
It turned out to be the shortest summer ever. It lasted only 4 days.
It provided some opportunity to let reality set in about the magnitude of the project. And, to test our AC unit to see if it would work too. We were shocked at how unacclimated we are to temps above 67 degrees in the house.
By Thursday, things continued to heat up. We even found our shorts to wear.
I can’t tell you how many times I apologized about how sorry I was for the stubbornness of a single branch of a willow tree I planted 11 years ago. It looked a lot like this one below when I planted it. I have delightful tales to tell about the branches that Mr. cut off, but I’ll save them for a different post!
Said stubborn stump monopolized the brief taste of summer we had this week.
Mr. sawed off the branches. I felt sad in a way looking at the branches laying on the ground. With the branches off, it made it easier to get to removing the perennials and the base of the garden bed.
With Mr.’s help, I was able to relocate the Autumn Joy Sedum and the tiger lily bulbs. I still have some to plant, they’re in the dirt in a bucket until summer weather returns.
We were relieved not to find any bee and snake nests.
We only found a ground squirrel who didn’t care for the fact that we demolished its front door to somewhere underground.
Mr. got busy disassembling the wall around the tree stump.
This little portable electric saw cut through the ties and the stump surprisingly well.
But, the stump’s monologue of resilience wasn’t funny to us.
That cute little face in the rings on the branch stub wasn’t helping the frustration.
It continued to nail the jokes on us!
With the determination of a monolithic-rooted beast, that damn stump hung on for dear life as Mr. dug, chopped, and axed at the base of it. Using as many tools as possible to break it free from the root system that apparently found it’s way through the wall in multiple spots. It had 11 years to do so.
At the point where Mr. had done all he could to get to the trickster root hidden on the back side of the stump, it was time to call in the reinforcement team, aka, Mr.’s parents.
They arrived on their Ranger 4X4 with a chain.
The Ranger has a touchy foot pedal…both forward and backward – thankfully no humans were hurt.
Within 3.24 minutes along with a few (I lost count as I video-taped it so Mr. could see how it rolled out of the spot) chops of the axe on the stubborn root, the Ranger pulled on the chain and the stump broke free!
Mr. loaded it in the back of the Ranger and we all said, “Good riddance!”
Whew…that stump was finally gone.
Feeling (I’m assuming) physically exhausted, Mr. trimmed a couple of the railroad ties as we/he pondered if we should just bury the old wall behind/under the new.
Later that day, thankfully, the stump hadn’t grown back so we’re hoping with the rain/snow we have arriving the next few days that it doesn’t take off again and grow!
The wall sits awaiting next moves when the second spring/summer of 2023 arrives. We’ll see if the rain will wash any of the dirt and sand out.
Yesterday’s sunrise was stunning. The pastels in the sky were breathtaking. Even if we both know that red skies in the morning, sailors take warning. . .
Mother Nature’s monologue about the summer that came and went already is teasing us with winter’s return tonight which is not making us laugh this morning.
Post Inspiration – Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday – Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “starts with mono.” Find a word that starts with “mono” and use it in your post. Enjoy! And Terri Webster Schrandt’s Sunday Stills Apr 16 Monthly Color Challenge: White and Pastels
PS – Did you have a short summer too? What colors in the sky make you smile? Have you ever watched a delivery truck like that? Do you think we’re having the strangest weather this year?
Talk about whiplash weather, ouch! We’ll be lucky to see 70s by June here! That is quite the project you are embarking on. I know your pain…we have to redesign our driveway, re-dig and replace/expand our culvert and add new gravel to our rural driveway. That is quite the impressive equipment, but your pics of the retaining wall in need of repair tells the story. It will be worth it in the end!
Yes, Terri, we’re feeling the whiplash! This morning it is blizzard conditions and we probably got about 6-7 inches of snow overnight.
We’ve been putting off this project for too long. It’s fun to see it happening though.
Yikes…your driveway project sounds huge too. I hope you’ve found a great company to work with to do the heavy lifting. I look forward to your pictures of the redo!
This is a big project, Shelley. Thanks for the progress photos, I enjoy seeing those. Be careful (but keep us informed).
Yes, indeed it is. I’m glad you enjoy the progress photos!! We’re on a standstill until the snow melts…6-7 inches arrived overnight and it’s a blizzard right now. UGH!
Sorry – that does dampen the DIY spirit.
Indeed it does. I do think it gives someone’s back some rest though, so that’s a healing gift.
What a tease! This time of year up there can be annoying with the crazy temperature swings. The project is looming large now, isn’t ? That’s gonna be a whole lotta work!
You’re spot on with your assessments in weather and the project, John!! ❄🥶🧊💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
Thank you, Shelley! ❤️
You’re welcome!
Congratulations for your new project! You have a very hardworking husband too to help carry out the project the soonest possible. Always stay blessed.
Thank you for your encouragement. Happy Birthday to you – I hope you enjoy every moment of your 59th year!! Blessings to you too.
Thank you. Yes I enjoyed my birthday celebration
Wowsa! Love the kitty photo ❤️ …and we know all about the troubles of tree stumps. Put out a few hundred $$$ over the years to remove trees and stumps. Probably more than just a few hundred $$$! Good luck on the project!
Hi Lisa, yes, I remember how you love kitties 🥰😍
Oh, my, we have spent much money removing trees too. Usually at our rentals, not here at home. Hopefully we’ll not see this tree regrow from the roots we can’t see how far they go.
Thank you for the encouragement and well wishes!!
Wow–your weather really is a rollercoaster! But I’m glad the warm weather held for long enough to get a good start on your big yard project. I know you’ll keep us posted!
Hi Rebecca, yes, indeed it is! We’re on the chilly side of this roller-coaster with blizzard conditions this morning. It’s hard to tell how much snow we got overnight!
We’re both glad we did get a start on the project that will now be delayed until the snow melts again. I’m guessing Mr. will enjoy the break so his back gets a rest. 🤔😂
We’re having weather whiplash here, too. It was in the 80s on Saturday, now there’s talk of freezing tonight. You are ambitious to attempt to build your own retaining wall. I wish you well. That’s a project that’d be way above our pay grade.
Hi Ally – the weather whiplash has given me a bloody tongue. I hope your freezing didn’t damage any spring flowers!
I do think the inability to work on the project has given Mr.’s back muscles some reprieve, except we got 6 inches of snow that whipped into a drift 5 feet high in the front door area that he had to shovel.
We keep telling ourselves, it’s one brick at a time kind of project. We’ve already passed by the get it done before winter phase. 🤣😂
That’s a lot of very hard work. Even without the stump. We hired someone to help us clean the beds, to edge them, to clean up a hillside that was overgrown etc. He got bogged down in the hillside, decided he wanted more $ than we had contracted for, and wouldn’t finish working on any of the rest until we agreed to pay more$ which we did not, so in the end we had to call the police to remove him from our property and I still had to clean the beds myself, there was no edging, and we had to spread 30 yards of mulch ourselves. Getting older sucks.
Yes, I believe it is going to be a lot of hard work. That’s so frustrating that your hired help turned out to be a poor estimator. Yikes…30 yards of mulch is a big project too. I bet there were plenty of sore muscles to prove you did the work. Are you happy with how it looks now that you’re done?
I think we’re with you in finding out that our bodies and our estimations about projects aren’t as youthfully optimistic as we once were. 🤣
Dawn, I had to chime in here real quick – because our neighbor had someone back out on them with spreading some mulch – the man just said he changed his mind – and so the other day I volunteered to help move a little (Three wheelbarrows full) and it was a lot of work! I felt it in my arms for days….
cheers to those who do yard/garden work
Hi – enjoyed this post because you let us feel like we were there with you all. I could almost hear the whirring of the delivery – and did you say neighbors heard? I thought you had no neighbors and just lived by the large fields – hmmm
and wow – the stump broke free? I did not expect it would have released itself –
and the weather has been weird
Hi Yvette – you must’ve read my mind. I was thinking to myself that I needed to go check in on your blog and see what you’ve been up to. You’ve been busy as I assumed you would be 😍
I’m glad you stopped by here to see what’s happening in our neck of the woods. Mr.’s parents live next door. We do have neighbors, but most lots are several acres in size so no one right up close. But, with loud trucks we can hear what’s happening – and we can hear each others lawn mowers, etc.
The stump didn’t break free until Mr.’s last chop with the axe on the root and then it was easy for the Ranger to pull it out of the spot it was sitting for 11 years.
Yes, weird weather. I was reminded yesterday as the snow melted, a snow storm in April helps coat the brown grass and give moisture to the bright green blades waiting to emerge. It is like instant green grass now that the snow is melting!
I don’t envy Mister for all that work he has on his plate once the snow is gone and his reprieve is over. I brought everything home in the Pacer when I did the backyard perimeter gardens … I thought I’d never finish lugging stuff home, to the backyard and stacking them up – something for younger legs than mine. My next door neighbor (Marge’s daughter) put a retaining wall, two layers high, in her front yard. It looked nice at the time – it needs to be shored up a bit. I can’t say I’ve ever watched a large load of supplies being delivered – the last roof in 2006 was delivered/put on while I was at work. Good luck with this project Shelley!
Yes, we agree – it’s a huge project to undertake.
We knew we couldn’t pick up the supplies on our own so paid the extra fee to have it all delivered. That made this part of the project go extra smooth.
As every home owner knows, maintenance is part of the deal as well as renovations when the time comes. The idea of buying a RV sometimes sounds good to us! LOL
Thanks for the support, Linda, much appreciated!
Well, you’ll be pleased once the kinks are out of the project and Mr.’s back as well. That pesky stump … I have two of those small trees in behind the lilac tree (on the other side – I had two lilac trees like bookends in the back garden). They have to be pulled out as they grew too big. I have Purple Nightshade that has threaded itself through my Pyracantha bush – no one sees it due to my neighbor’s high fence, but I can see it from my backyard. I can’t get rid of that stuff!
It’s funny, despite the magnitude of the project, with this crazy weather, all we do is look out at the project and wish we could be working on it. Maybe this weekend? We’ll see!
I sense your frustrations – I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you’ll find the best solution for your yard. 😊😉
You’re also thinking that before the temps crank up and make it miserable working out there, it would be best to get it done and over with!
Yes, indeed!!
Oh, I do not envy the work you and the Mister have given yourself. How on earth are you moving all of those bricks to the backyard? I hope you have more than a wheelbarrow and one or two extra arms with muscle. And please take care of yourselves while completing your project.
Has the recent snow left your yard yet? Or is it waiting until we have sun and warm temps again?
Aw, thanks, Mary, we’ll take care of ourselves.
We do have our neighbors 4 wheeler to use to move the bricks. Still, each one weighs 55#s so we’ll either have really big muscles by the end of summer or . . . let’s just go with that idea! We’re taking this project one brick at a time. And still waiting for the weather to get a tad bit warmer. We still have a couple of small piles of snow left in the yard. That last storm was a doozy! How about by you? Snow still?
No snow here, although a few flakes flew Saturday morning. Spring had better start kicking a** and taking no prisoners!
The flakes we had made it look like we had a fast spinning snow globe in control!
Well said, Mary, I agree 💯❗