Yard work and outdoor "pets"

Oh my! You don't even want to know how many days we've worked in the yard. We've trimmed trees, racked leaves, cut down an old diseased half-dead redwood tree, trimmed hedges, dug up butchered bushes, planted potted plants, planted flowers in the window boxes, racked leaves, adjusted the watering system, dug up roots, racked more leaves, and pulled LOTS of weeds.

Here's our trash pile. This picture doesn't do it justice!

It takes up half our driveway and bulk pickup somehow missed us last week. So it's still there!

I got all the window boxes planted with new coconut netting.

I had to scrap and repaint a few of the window boxes that had seen better days. And totally replace three that the years of watering had basically eaten away metal and they couldn't have survived another season. I love the pop of red against the white and black house. And more than that I love that you don't have to dead head these inpatients. They just grow!

I still need to plant some perennials in the front beds and add some annuals for color in the back.

I'm enjoying working in the yard and the girls are enjoying playing in the yard. This is the first year that I feel like I can take my eyes off of them for any length of time without thinking they are going to go through the fence and into the street.

They've been digging for worms, doodlebugs, and snails every spare minute they can. Presley calls whatever she digs up, her "pets". She traps keeps them in any container she can find.

Teagan is ready for the water. This particular day, she ran instead put on her swimsuit and came back out wanting to play in the water. But it was no where near warm enough. She settled on a little soccer and couple pictures.

Presley has found two garden snakes. The first one she pulled out, she said "look mom, the longest, faster worm ever!" I said I don't think that's a worm and yelled for Price and he said "that's not a worm, it's a snake!" Presley then immediately dropped it. But Price caught it again and we kept it for a day or so.

Just look at those dirty fingernails!


The next one she found, she let her daddy pick up! So she's learning. Teagan enjoys digging for worms just as much, but she draws the line at snakes. My personal line is drawn at worms if anyone cares to know.

Daddy is the official worm digging parent. I just supervise, take the occasional picture, and make sure hands are sufficiently washed afterwards.