Rocks....shall we start with the rocks

As the spring gave way to mud...as it usually does.  This year the mud was excessive.  It came with the rains that also were excessive and flooding in nature.  We faired better than most but it did put our new drainage systems to the test.

Trailer loaded with a lot of BIG rocks.  The rocks are coming from the foundation of a dismantled barn.  My dad had the Amish come in a few years ago and dismantle the barn, salvage the beams and some of the good boards.  These stones are ripe for the taking, despite what the possessive grape vines have to say about it.  I took one nasty fall with a 70 pound rock after a grapevine wrapped around my ankle.  I landed backwards on a pile of rocks with the 70 pound rock on top of me.  I thought it all went quite gracefully, as I did not really get hurt.   Joel begged to differ and put me in timeout.

 Here is a new side garden along the driveway and wood line using some hosta's from the farm that I had originally shared with my mom years ago.  They needed to be divided and it all came out lovely.

 It's amazing what a boarder and mulch can do.  I estimate that this year I moved about 8 yards of mulch by hand.  We get it in bulk with the trailer and I unload it into my little trailer on the four wheeler and shovel it out again.

 This is the bed I started last year on the front of the house.  I did add some new plants to this as some of my bargains from last year did not grow.  Mainly the Shasta daisies (broke my heart) but the Black Eyed Susan's made up for it with a GRAND display this year, and my grass came back.  Thank goodness.