Clean-Up Crew

Yesterday was a day of rest, and we almost succeeded in making it one.

We did complete one small task.  After church (which was very peaceful), we decided to plant some grass in the front yard before we received late afternoon promised rain.  The whole chore took us not more than a half hour.  While Rick raked and seeded the area, I cut the burlap.  Then we staked it down and gave it a good drink of water since I did not believe that we would receive any rain.  I was correct.

Burlap protects our newly planted grass from birds and cats.

We chose to cover the areas with burlap both to keep the birds, especially the ibises, from eating all of the grass seed and to keep the cats away from using the muddy areas as their litter box.  Since the burlap was undisturbed this morning, I think our plan was a success.

Rick and I generally try to take a walk each day after dinner.  We have skipped our strolls quite a few times in the past week because we have been so tired from the paver work.  I figure that pure exhaustion is a good sign that I have exercised enough that day.  However, yesterday since we did little work, a walk was in order.

We walked in a neighborhood a few blocks from our house.  On one corner is a water catch basin surrounded by trees, including the largest and most beautiful bougainvillea I have ever seen.  I had to include a picture just to share its majesty.

This bougainvillea towers at least 15 feet tall and equally as wide.

Steve came over early this morning and helped Rick load the tamper back into the truck.  Thanks, Steve! After a quick stop at the hospital for me to get a scheduled blood test, we were off to return the tamper.  Traffic was heavy but moving, so we were home again by 10:30.

Rick suggested that we rent a small dumpster to get rid of the extra sand and old patio stepping stones that we inherited from the previous owner.  Sadly, when he called to order a dumpster, the man from the city told him that we could not put in cement or sand.  The dumpsters were more for "building materials" and for junk that one might clean out of a garage.

OK.  Slight problem.  Rick then called the place that sold us the sand, and they told us that we could drop off the extra sand along with the patio stones and paver cut-offs from our current job.  Oh, good.  We would have to move the sand AGAIN.  However, just to get it out of the yard, we did so.

We lined the back of the truck with a heavy tarp and then used wagon and wheelbarrow to transport 5-gallon buckets of sand from the back yard to the back of the truck.  We decided to use the buckets so we could better control how we distributed the sand in the truck bed.  Then, just as the sky started to sprinkle a little of yesterday's promised moisture, we piled the excess patio stones on top of the pile of sand.

At the disposal sight, we both got up into the truck and started to throw the patio stones and pavers out.  We both tried to shovel the sand out, but there really was not room enough for both of us to do so, so I got down.  Then a young man who had parked his company truck next to ours said, "You need a lift truck."  We agreed; however, that just was not available.

He looked at Rick doing all of the shoveling and said, "Can I help you just pull up and dump the tarp?" Rick grabbed one corner, he grabbed the middle, and I grabbed the other corner.  Among the three of us, we were able to pull the tarp over and to dump the sand out.  The helpful man really saved us lots of time.  He was young and strong; we would not have been able to dump the tarp without him.  Thank God for generous people in this world!

The mountain of sand is gone, and the boards that once
held it will be cut up and disposed of with next week's trash.

When we returned home, we cleaned up the rest of the back yard and Rick hosed down the truck.  It had gotten quite muddy at the concrete disposal sight.

This afternoon, the rains are finally starting to fall, and we could not be more pleased.  The tamper is safely returned, the sand is gone, the patio stepping stones are gone, and my new grass is getting the gentle rain it needs to grow. This has been a good day.