I think the yard is trying to kill me.

I don't think we really comprehended just how much work this house was going to be when we bought it. The yard is a challenge, mostly because of the slope, which we were expecting. However, I was so worried about the slope that I didn't really take in the shear size of the yard. The lot is almost an acre, though part of the back is wooded. There is a TON of flower beds around the house. I think we probably have about 10 times as much square footage of flower beds here as we did at our last house.

Those flower beds have been sorely neglected for the last 3 years that the house has been sitting on the market. The shrubs are way overgrown. There are weeds -- big behemoth sized weeds -- everywhere. The plants are still mostly builder grade (though some spots look like they were done remarkably well) and some are half dead. And the sprinkler system needs a good tune-up. Ugghhh...

So, earlier this week I decided that I CAN NOT STAND the status of my front flower bed -- the one along the house that everyone has to pass by to enter our front door. It was pitiful and not a welcoming sight. So, I spent an enormous amount of time and energy pulling EVERYTHING out. While I was at it, I pulled the ugly/half dead plants from the bed by the street/property line.

This morning, Jeremy announced that he wants to paint our screen porch next weekend (which also involves re-sealing the wood beam supports and railing on the deck below the screen porch). It really does need it very badly. The screen is ripped and torn and the porch is just filthy (we have a lovely spider infestation here). We can't easily reach the outside of the porch for cleaning, so we've been waiting until we could tear it apart completely. But, in order to do all that, we need to hack down the massively overgrown holly bushes that are around the bottom deck. They are so overgrown that you can't see the yard from the porch.

So, I spent the majority of the afternoon working on the front beds and the bushes around the porch. (Question: What kind of idiot does her inside projects in the morning when it is cool and then heads outside at 2:00 when it is getting good and hot?) I worked until my hands turned into useless claws, my hand trimmers were so dull that they couldn't cut through a leaf and I was so hot that I was dizzy. Ugh...I am exhausted. Though, it is that good exhausted -- the kind that leaves you feeling satisfied at the end of the day because you know you accomplished a lot.

The fun part of all of this is the new landscaping I get to put in. I have a laundry list of things I NEED to have in my yard: forsythia, tea olives, guara, roses (I'm going to try the knockout variety, as I've read that anyone can grow them), tulips, peonies and a host of other things! I can't wait to get it done and see how much better it looks! And, I'm trying something new this time. On Monday, I'm going to take a soil sample to the extension office for a soil test. I've never bothered to do this before, but the very helpful lady at the local nursery advised strongly that I do so before I began any planting. I usually have pretty good luck with my gardening without going to such measures, however I thought I'd give it a try and do it "by the books" this time.