Typical weekend

Maybe not super-typical but not all the unusual, either. Some away time, some home time.

Saturday started out with a hike up Mt. Si. I took some training weight (about 35 pounds) and so I was feeling it a bit. The legs were OK but my lower back was sore as I haven’t done too much with weight this year. Overall I was happy with my time and condition but surprised at how sore I was.

After that I pretty much sat around. We went out shopping and had dinner and all. When Suzy cooks I do the dishes, and so I held up that end of the bargain but, over all … not much happened. Oh, I did stay up too late and played a lot of Gears of War 2. 🙂

On Saturday I got up late (about 9 AM) but that was after getting up at 3 AM because Trout was convinced it was time to eat. I stayed up an hour and then had to go down again (hey, I was up until past midnight playing my game!) Anyhow, Suzy had a nice breakfast waiting (eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit) and once that (and the dishes) were done, we started outside.

  

I kicked off by weeding the side yard and Suzy cut back the ivy growing there. I progressed to the driveway while Suzy did the front beds. Lots of work but we were just starting. I weeded the easier stuff and managed to pull weeds from the lawn, weed under our maple tree, and then half of the garden gate area before Suzy caught up. I knew I was getting the easier stuff as I’d empty our weed bags and take a little “cat time” with Trimble who was running amok in the backyard.

I brought out the weedwhacker and edged the lawns and did a little trimming; it was too wet for the lawn mower. I did the back yard lawn, too, and that was a little too bad as it scared all the cats in. Spencer and Trout had decided to join Trimble in the sunshine.

About this time Suzy and I regrouped, pulled and replanted a holly bush, and then set in a couple black pussy willow trees. I like them because they remind me of seeing pussy willows all the time when I was younger. Very neat to have some growing by my house here in Seattle.

Then into the back yard. Suzanne worked on transplanting some blue star creeper that does great in our backyard to the barren areas by our rockery at the garden gate. I laid in the holly and started holes for the lavendar. Suzy has four biggish bushes that started getting “leggy” and weren’t working where we had them. She wanted them up in the back a bit and I had the shovel. She helped in pulling the old ones so the job went quickly. While she started in on finishing the weeding, I waterered all the transplants and started cleaning up.

   

As I realized she somehow still had energy to continue weeding, I took care of the far side of the yard where we have a walking path to the back 40. It’s just a barked swath of ground but the weeds and moles seem to enjoy it. No moles obvious today but lots of weeds. I took a hoe to them and then raked it all in. Perhaps not a professional job but I was starting to get tired!

Then I was really about to go but recalled Suzy wanted the pampas grasses cut back. I knew she’d do it if I didn’t so I got an old saw and started toward them. She stopped me before I dug in and gave me some arm protectors. Thank goodness. I had exposed knees compliments some pants that were past their prime and managed to come away with scratches all over them! The pampas cuts like a knife across the skin. It was murder!

But, I managed to hack them down, clear the brush, and then finish a bit of raking before I was really done.

Quite a long day but things looked great when we were finished. A job well done!

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