Yard work over due

Started at 0630 with the front lawn that hadn't been mown in three weeks. Mostly went well, but my Hart equipment needs new batteries, could've sworn I had four, but could only account for three, one of which broke, and the remaining two seem to have drained way to fast. While waiting for them to charge, I started on project two, finally reining in the south side where things have been growing like weeds. Not sure if most of it was goldenrod, or the Missouri equivalent of bamboo, but I went to work cutting each piece down with pruners and piling it in the back against the fence.

At one point I took a break, ordering MickeyD's delivered, which is stupidly expensive. After eating, I got back to work, finishing the pruning before returning to the front to finish that. After that, we went to work using a trimmer to cut the grass in the same area because there was no way the mower would get it done. In the end, the room mate joined in, since his equipment is better than mine, and everything along that side was cut.

Yep, no before pic, but there's the after, not real impressive looking, but at least its no longer an eyesore.

That said, I do think I overdid it, from neck pain to unquenchable thirst, as well as the coffee I had with my breakfast, I went through four 12oz Gatorades while I was working. Since I came in, I've had another coffee, and cup after cup, after cup of water which doesn't come back out. My neck is also sore, and I'm fairly certain I'm a bit sun burned.

Ugh, no grocery shopping or laundry today, those can wait until tomorrow, though I will do the mileage log and finish proofreading a story I've been working on, along with my regular night's web surfing... Well, extended version since I didn't surf this morn. Once I get that all done, it'll prolly be bedtime.

Tomorrow I'll have to start scanning documents to share with my financial manager related to Vik's passing, we need to get a plan in place so I can start taking care of the big financial decisions, and winding down his estate. I did accidentally kick over a hornet's nest yesterday, hopefully the bank doesn't repo his car now that they know he's dead, I'd rather like to keep it, even though ownership transfer will be challenging, but them taking it is not that big of a deal. And I do really need to get back to the comics, prepping that for sale, and that's the really big project. I do have someone brokering the sale of his fountain pens, and that's going well.

Work and work and work
So hard to make the yard right
And then comes August

#Haiku #OneHaikuADay #WritersCollective #writingcommunity #BackToHaiku #Seasons #Summer #August #Yard #Yardwork #Lawn #Grass #Garden #Gardening #Flowers #Mow #Mowing

August 23, 2025

In case it might help somebody else, I managed to fix my EGO weed trimmer today. The automatic feed button wasn't sucking in the line, so I used a 1/2 socket to pop off the housing and found a piece of string and some dried stems clogging the gears. Once cleaned the auto-feed worked better than ever and the trimmer had much more power. #ego #yardwork #repair #fix #fixit #diy #tools #weeding #battery #lawncare

A morning spent shovelling clay-rich soil that has hardened to almost pavement without rain for so long.

I'm lowering the grade a bit and putting some foundation gravel & stone dust down for a flagstone path at the base of some stairs. Trying to manage the angles and ensure water runs away and doesn't pool.

It's hot - got an umbrella over my work area to stop from getting heat stress. Think I'll stay inside for the afternoon.

My shed belongs to the wasps now. #gardening #yardwork

Whew, nothing like a shower after a long day working in the humidity and dirt! It was a muggy one today.

Got my deck-stairs' foundation laid and the stringers levelled, squared, treated, and attached, and half the treads were trimmed and mounted too. Should be able to put them into service on the weekend.

Fun reusing wood from the disassembled deck sections. Feels extra frugal and enviro-friendly. We'll see how it weathers the winter.

The Unspoken Rules of #Neighborly #Yardwork #Etiquette

https://www.bobvila.com/lawn-and-garden/yardwork-etiquette/

I persevered in the blazing sun to try and achieve my deck-disassembly goals for the day. Wanted to remove skirt boards on two sides, an outer rim and three railings and posts.

The last two posts were hell. After removing six screws from each, I had to remove some decking to get at their rear faces. There and on the sides I took 11 more screws out of each to free them.

Weirdly the posts along the opposite side had zero screws - just sat in a notch. Crazy Town.

Ugh - the sun. Always the sun. It was cloudy when I went out.

I swear I could go outside to work in the dark of night and ten minutes later I'll be baked and sweating in the intense sunlight. I must have pissed off Ra or something.

The (alternative mix*) grass is growing in the driveway and the rock tracks are solid.

* It’s not grass at all. Mostly native clover, plus poppies and some small flowering grasses. It looks patchy but the stated goal on the bag is for about 75% coverage so that it can grow, flower, seed itself, and then fill in naturally next year. I will add a picture of our side path that we did last year. The clover has indeed filled in nicely and it is staying nice and green with minimal water. You can see it on the left in the very back of the picture. The clover is about 30cm/1ft tall and is full of blooms.

Working from home today due to scheduled highway closure which means I could do yardwork early when i would normally be commuting! Woot!

Thinned the apple trees! Slightly more apples on the Blushing Delight than the Northern Spy.

Both trees look healthy though it looks like aphids have invaded the Blushing Delight with the assistance of the local ant population.

We got more alt-grass seed to finish off the last part of the driveway before its' morning drink.
#yardwork #DIY #PortAlberni #Home #RemoteWork #WorkFromHome #BCHwy4

thankful for the rain today!! Only took a few days for the new grass/clover/flower mix to sprout!!

Going to get hot this week so I am very glad it has begun successfully now.
#driveway #yardwork #diy #portalberni