Yard Work, Hard Work!

There's been lots going on around our place-- in the name of hard work.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,

knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. 

Colossians 3:23-24 

I'll just tell you now, some of these pictures are just cold hard facts...

nothing pretty about some of them. 

This is our above ground pool. It's about 11 years old- and it needed a new liner this year.

Actually it needed it two years ago. 

But after the year we had last year--- Well, let's just say - we're finally getting to it. 

This is how it looked after our youngest son-in-law worked so hard all by himself Memorial Day and pulled the liner out. He surprised us! We were actually out of town when he came over and cleaned it all up. 

He knew we had ordered a new liner and it was coming last week. 

Ah!  to be 22 yrs young and have energy, strength of a bull, and a STRONG DESIRE TO SWIM!

The walls are actually in pretty good shape but after 3 years of not running the pool and performing regular maintenance--- I guess it gets pretty gross! 

This is while the liner is being installed by... 

Honey, SIL #1 and SIL #2 (the youngest and hard worker) 

I actually have a picture of our #1 son helping out one day... can't find it now. 

So far all the guys have helped. 

Getting to Swim is a good motivator! 

It took most of Saturday afternoon and it started getting dark. 

The youngest SIL still perseveres!  (they are cutting a hole for the drain) 

FINALLY! Water in the pool. This is  our Wee- Little Man--- enjoying the fruits of his daddy's labor. 

Too bad we all had to wait until Sunday afternoon to swim--- it took almost 24 hrs. to fill this 16 X 24 ft. pool. At least he is enjoying it now!  

Because he cried the next day when it was full. 

At two years old...He just didn't know what to think. 

I don't think he had an inkling of an idea what this THING in our back yard was--he'd never been on the deck or seen it except just sitting there in the back yard! 

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Elsewhere in the yard. 

I bought these plants for half price at LOWE'S on the 

'We tried to kill it shelf'  

I bought Begonias...

Impatiens.... 

and Petunias. 

I found somethings to pot these in while nosing around the barn the other day. 

I've not potted them yet... I had to nurse them to life first. 

The other pot is tomatoes. But I probably won't get any until the fall. If I can just nurse my tomato plants along through the long hot summer. I might get a fall crop. 

(I got started too late...sigh... ) 

I believe I've shown you my experiment with twig fences. 

This is another fence we mended with cedar limbs from off our land. 

This fence was completely falling over. I fixed it all by myself! 

Do y'all say 'fix' where you live? 

I know some people don't say 'fix'...they say mend or repair...or some other word. 

But to 'fix' something means the same thing. 

I also told you I'd show you pictures of my twig gate I made for the compost bin...to keep the dog out... 

It doesn't work. 

I don't have a picture...but I caught the dog in there the other day. She is determined to eat my scraps (ie: compost!) I have to add a few more twigs to this gate to make it 'DOG PROOF'... oh, well. It's a work in progress. 

This is our first Canna lily  of the season. 

 I forget these are here and then they just pop up! Especially the seasons we get plenty of rain. Like the one we're having this year.  In fact we've had showers the past two days.   The temperature was so great today, in the mid to low 80's
I nice reprieve from the 100 degree temps we've had over the weekend!!! 
We've not turned our A/C on yet. Now that the pool is opened up--- I'm trying to hold off even longer. I used to live in my swim suit when the kids were little.  I'd take a dip in the pool. Sit out a bit...and then I'd hang out laundry, mow the grass, work in the yard-- even go inside and clean house or something.  I'd live in and out of the pool.  
It saved us running the air. Honey says he doesn't remember that. But, that is because-- 
by the time he'd get home,  I'd have the a/c turned on so he could relax-- he worked in a hot manufacturing shop...'sweat shop' he called it!  But now that he is retired I honestly think he is pleasantly surprised with all the ways I've learned over the years to cut corners.  He goes along with lots of my suggestions and acts like it's the greatest idea he's ever heard!  He is so happy to be retired! 
I like making him happy. 


That's all for now- 
God Bless you 
and 
Thanks for reading!