The first project I tackled was in the very front of the yard. This is the ugly before picture. Notice how everything is overgrown in front of the light pole? Yea, it's ugly!
Here is what I did with some of the free rock that we picked up. Isn't that gorgeous! I do need to move the chicken feeder, as it's kind of lobsided with three things on one side and only one on the other. I used the larger rocks to make the border, and just kind of followed the natural grass line.
Yesterday, Nate and Jess came over with the kids to help out with the rest of the rock. Everybody got started working, including the kids. Jess brought over some boneless, skinless chicken breasts, and it was Greg's job to make lunch, seeing as he couldn't do any of the yard work. When he tried cutting hte grass the other day his feeding tube started bleeding and oozing, so he was banned from any work whatsoever. He just finished his 5 days of 24/7 chemo (he calls it his "to go" chemo) LOL But he's having a hard time with it. He's been exhausted lately and of course, not sleeping well. Monday, he barely slept, and ended up taking almost a 5 hour nap on Tuesday while we were working in the yard. Of course, that meant he couldn't sleep last night, either. He's trying very hard to not take a nap so that he can sleep tonight.
He has commented that each chemo has been harder than the last on him. I can't even imagine. He is my hero. I know that the chemo is hard on him by he way he acts. Things he normally loves, bother him now. It has surprised me at how his attitudes about some things have changed. It's because the drugs are changing him. If YOU were getting filled with poison every four weeks, you'd change too! I just have to learn how to live with him differently. I'm sure we'll manage. After all, we've been dealing with cancer for 25 years and God is with us. He is watching over us and He is teaching us, and by me writing this blog, He is teaching you, as well! Isn't that just incredible? How we are all touched by God?
Anyway, Greg did a GREAT job grilling the chicken breasts and yanking stuff out of the fridge to put out quite the spread for an impromptu lunch for a group! Everyone was quite happy and had lots of energy to finish the job! Here are the before pictures of the front yard where we were working. This is directly in front of the house, with bedroom windows upstairs and the family room and my office in the lower level.
As you can see, everything is VERY overgrown. I'll have to wait until fall to trim some of the bushes, but we did yank out a couple! Just wait until you see the "after" pictures!
We hadn't been working long when Jess' mom showed up! Debi is a powerhouse when it comes to yard work and yanking weeds, and generally working on what needed to be done! She was amazing! We had been working for just over an hour, when we were surprised by one our chuch friends, and Dan pulled up with shovel in hand to help out! What an incredible blessing that was! We certainly needed his help! He worked his butt off shoveling stone from the trailer into the wheelbarrow and bringing it to the front where we were working.
As I said, we wanted to yank out a couple of bushes that were half dead and needed to go. One of them was being stubborn, so we first tried to yank it out with the help of the lawn tractor. Abby had her waterproof barn bibs on because she was trimming in a "swampy" area of the yard and didn't want to get wet and full of dirt. She added a nice pop of color! Ha, ha!
As you can see from this photo, the lawn tractor did not work! Dan put his Jeep to good use and we got that sucker out! YAY!
Dan is coming around from the back yard with a load of rocks. If you look closely, you can see another pile of rocks to the right in the driveway.
Jessica and Dan are emptying a load of larger rocks that are being used as the border.
And finally . . . here are the "after" pictures!
I joked with Jess that I could decorate the entire front without having to buy a thing because I already have so much "stuff." And guess what? That's exactly what I did. The old cast iron stove in this picture is something Greg had when I met him 33 years ago! It has been outside as a plant holder for the last 19 years. It was on our deck in back, but it looks much better here in front. The large rock that is there is actually fake! Erica used it when she was doing portrait photography, but as she's no longer doing portrait photography, it now belongs to me!
In the picture above, you can see four cement stones. We made those on July 30, 2000. The kids each have their own stone with their handprints and Greg and I share one with our handprints. I had completely forgotten about these stones until they were found buried underneath pine needles and an overgrown evergreen! I was so excited to find them and had to find a special place for them in the yard. The next picture is a close-up of all four stones. The color on them is a little off because they were wet from being washed.
The washtub in this picture has kind of a funny story. When we lived in Sturtevant, I was taking the kids to the babysitter on garbage day. Someone had this in their pile of garbage. Well, I stopped and grabbed the washtub, but left the stand there. Once I got to work, I was berating myself for not grabbing the stand, too. I called the babysitter and told her where it was located and asked her if she would mind picking it up for me. She said she used to garbage pick with her dad all the time when she was younger, so had no problem getting it for me. It was close enough to walk, so the kids were absolutely mortified by the excursion! Ha ha! The "pot" that the flowers are in, I picked up at a flea market a couple years ago. It's some sort of strainer that's used on the farm. And I've had that masher for over ten years, too. I don't remember what it's used for any more, but it's cool, so there it is. Oh, and that wagon wheel is over 100 years old. I picked it up about 14 years ago just to irritate our old neighbors who preferred a naked yard, rather than one that is landscaped like ours was/is.
I also have to let everyone know that Erica helped us this week, too! She did one of the hardest trimming jobs, and that is the ditch next to the road in front of the barn! It was fairly warm the day she did the trimming, so she got one heck of a workout She did a great job and I was incredibly happy to not have to do that! She was home to take some family pictures for our neighbors, so I stole her zoom lens to take pictures! Course, I put it back before she even knew I used it!
So, there you have it! The rock is where it belongs and some other yard work got done, all with the help of some amazing people! And it was all FREE! Can't beat that price! Nate, Jess, Debi, Dan, Abby, Erica and Greg! All tremendous blessings that God has placed in my life!
Blessings to All!
Julie
It's become difficult financially without Greg working, so if you so inclined --> Greg's Go Fund Me
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