After only 4 hours sleep I got started early on Wednesday morning. I was determined to finish the raking before the grass got too high and after opening up the house as much as I could (not many screens in place yet) at 7AM, I went out at 8AM and raked the rest of the yard.
As I went out the back door, this is what I saw in the East Shed garden.
I got the side yard done first.
Then I did the area between the house and the shed. My son would pick up the piles later on.
When I finished about 9AM I got this photo of the magnolia. It just about to open and with the upper 70’sF temps due on Wednesday, I thought for sure some would open. A few had gotten lightly frosted in the last week.
Tom had arrived and when I talked to him about what to do with the chainsaw out for repair, we decided we really needed to know how old it was. He knew about my manuals stash in the cellar and suggested I see if I could find that one.
Well, that manuals stash was a joke. I’d been tossing every single manual that came in into that file cabinet drawer for nearly 50 years. A couple decades ago I’d attempted to organize it but that hadn’t lasted. I needed a sitting job for a while after raking so I went down and hauled the 20+ lbs of manuals upstairs and sat and went through them.
I did find several things related to Husqvarnas but nothing definitive. And I tossed around 10# of old manuals out into recycle. Then I re-filed the remaining ones. We’ll see how long that lasts…
One thing that had to happen on Wednesday was getting screens into the small windows in my brother’s room. They would be the only air moving up there Wednesday night.
So I went up and washed the windows and got the screens in. I’d messed up and grabbed the screens for the bathroom the first time. I sat and thought, “Well, you have all the equipment and the screens, just do the bathroom next…” But I was just too exhausted. All I wanted to do was sleep.
Tom and I sat on the front steps in the sun and that’s when I saw the dandelions (above). He went back to work and I ate lunch and when he had gone, I went to bed and slept a couple hours.
When I went out at 7PM to do chores, the magnolia had several blossoms on the lower branches that had opened.
The West of Steps daffodils were in full glory.
And in the New West garden the clump of tulips was full of buds.
My tenant and his fiancée arrived after 7PM and went out and got started on the downed trees in the back 40. He said they got all the trees limbed and would be back out there on Thursday morning to start moving the wood with the truck to the brush pile. As it has poison ivy all around it, I don’t want to burn it.
Thursday is going to be a long day. I didn’t get any trays washed for seed starting, so that has to happen first. I have a lot of prep to do for it also. We still have to set up the roundtop window shelves. Good thing both helpers are coming.
Plus I have to try to manage the windows in the house during the day for the first time, as it’s to be in the 80’s and we will roast if I mess up. I opened the house as much as possible during the night hoping to trap the cold air.
That was a lot of raking for you in one day but I know it is hard to stop when you are making so much progress. The flowers look great and I bet that Magnolia is going to be beautiful. My Star Magnolia is bursting out this week too. Spring has sprung!