To begin the festivities we set Saturday, April 16th as 'Sadieville Clean-up Day'. We had a small crew of volunteers show up at 7am to help weed and pick up our streets. For two years now the discussion has been, among the ladies in the group, to remove the flowers around the Sadieville sign as you enter town. They are beautiful pink flowers but there are lots of them and their leaves look like weeds. They take over the other plants put there and choke them right out. This would be the day we took the first steps to remedy that situation. After 5 1/2 hours of weeding, the flower bed was devoid of these little pink flower plants. We emptied out one of the long flower beds along Warring Pavilion and filled it with the plants we removed. Then we just continued to dig up, by the root as much as possible, the remaining plants and empty the space around the Sadieville sign with the exception of the little irises and the day lilies under the sign. Other than leaving with a big hole in the back side of my pants from scooting around on the ground to accomplish this feat, it was a good morning.
All who participated were given a nifty t-shirt. This would be Sadieville's effort to support Earth Day (Earth Day is actually April 22nd).
Claude and I had responded that we would attend a fund raiser in Stamping Ground that evening. A Stamping Ground fireman's wife has stage 4 cancer and they were having a fish fry to raise money for her health care. Noble cause if ever there was one. Claude and I only eat one big meal a day so we were ready to enjoy that fish fry and drove to Stamping Ground. We found the line and proceeded to wait. Clearly they were still getting ready. We were patient. As the line moved a bit it was clear we would go through a line to pay at the entrance to a barn-like building. There we would get our soda and then go to the next line which went outside to tables under tents where the food was laid out with firemen behind to serve you your portions. Only problem was, that line was not moving at all. Kayla Jones, Stamping Grounds Mayor, came over to chat and thank us for supporting them. We then waited more. We noticed a large pile on the grass of baked beans. We were pretty sure that was not their serving area. Clearly someone had dropped all the baked beans along the sidewalk. But, never fear, the city dog was there trying to eat as many as he could. I would not want to be around that dog that night...just sayin'! After an hour, Claude and I gave up. We had made out contribution and our poor, tired bodies really needed nourishment. The mini-bagel and banana I had eaten were completely used up at this point. We left this event and drove to Burger King and ate probably the best hamburgers we have ever had. Things are always sooooo much better when you are really hungry. Thank heavens the next day was Sunday and there would be NO yard work on Sunday.
Then comes Monday. Claude wanted to put new dirt in the three Bourbon barrels and flower beds. Two of the places he was going to put it are planters along the patio. I needed to weed before he did that at all. He also wanted to cut the grass. He can't cut the grass until the dew is off our hill or the tractor could easily slide and roll over. So, I got up and was outside at 8am to weed some in the back yard. I knew I wouldn't get it all done. Helps to have reasonable expectations. But I did get the two planters, the hosta bed and the three big flower beds on the slope of the back yard. 4 1/2 hours later I was again done in. Back up the hill I trudged and into the house for lots to drink and a shower. My favorite part of these days was the time between things. We each get something to drink and sit on the front porch and chat. That feels so good. It is how I pictured retirement. The two of working at a common goal (whatever it may be) and then having a quiet time to reflect on how our work was going. Very nice moments. Claude did get the grass cut in the afternoon. Then he moved all the furniture and plants off the decks and the patio.
Monday afternoon was my time to get Papa's groceries and clean his apartment. I got the groceries and put them away. I filled his prescription things. But I just had nothing in me to clean. I still had our grocery shopping to do so I made a command decision. My father need me there more than he needed me cleaning. So we sat and visited for a couple of hours and then I left to get our grocery shopping done.
While doing our grocery shopping at Walmart, I took our City Clerk's advice and checked out their flowers. It seems our Walmart has a new policy now that they will put out their flowers and let them sit for two weeks. If they aren't sold by that time they mark them down 50%. If they aren't gone by another week, they mark them down 75%. I was searching for something for Sadieville around that sign. I also needed something for the planters on the patio. I was fortunate enough to find some deep red snap dragons for our patio and lots and lots of pansies for Sadieville.
Tuesday morning found me out again in the front yard. Somehow I thought this would go more easily. Not so. Not so at all. Another 4 1/2 hours later, I had done in the front what I wanted to accomplish. Claude came out and took the snap dragons and planted them in the patio containers for me. Yep, I was again wiped out but it sure felt good to have that much done. Claude drove me and my plants to Sadieville and left me with everything I needed to plant while he went into City Hall to actually do some Mayor things. I got all the pansies plants and then walked water to them. There will be lots more weeding to clean out the old plants as they try to come up. So many roots still in the ground but we'll get there. I came home and spent the afternoon cleaning out some more files in my office while Claude, bless his heart, power washed the decks and patio making sure to get the railing so I didn't have to go out and clean that white railing by hand.
Wednesday morning I should have headed down the hill to work on those two big beds and the area around the bench. I just couldn't do it. My knees are killing me and I decided to stay off them for a bit. Claude and I did determine we needed to get one more plant to put in the front flower bed. I wanted one to match another at the other end of that bed. I showed it to Claude who was stopping at Lowe's that afternoon. He said he would pick a leaf and take it with him and find one for me. He found exactly what I needed and even got me the ant killer I needed for one of the other flower beds.
Today Claude had an early morning meeting in Georgetown. While he was gone I put the new plant in the front flower bed.
In Georgetown, Claude stopped at Lowe's to pick up some dirt for the rain garden in Sadieville beside City Hall. While he was there, he checked for trees. We had looked at them but didn't find what we really wanted. We have gophers who think they need to tunnel under the dirt on the hill that is our back yard. There is not much dirt and then rock. So, they really are just making ruts and the rain is causing serious erosion. Goofy gophers! Claude believes planting a tree at the top of the big rut and putting a wall around the lower side so it is like a bench will stop that erosion. My suggestion was a pink dogwood. We had one in front of our home in Maryland and both loved it so very much. Well, this morning Claude found a pink dogwood at Lowe's. He came home with a Jeep full of dirt for Sadieville and emptied that dirt into its spot before coming home. When he got home, he told me he found three dogwood trees with pink blossoms. I looked at him and said, "We need to go back and get one before they are gone!" He agreed. We got a couple of things finished here and headed to Georgetown again. We picked out that tree and then found another one for a place lower in the yard. The other tree is a Garnet Japanese Maple. Prettiest feathery-like leaves on this tree and a deep garnet red color. It won't get really tall but it should help that part of the yard a lot. Nothing will be planted today. Rain is in the forecast and we just aren't going to get caught in the rain doing this. We did get the furniture and planters back on the decks and patio. We bought a hanging plant for the front porch. And I have Irish moss to plant under the cedar tree by the concrete bench. Lots more to do but so very much accomplished in the last few days.
To get the decks stained (there are two in the back of the house), all the furniture and planters had to be moved. They all came inside the house or the garage somewhere since they would need a spot to be for several days. I took this picture yesterday and posted it on Facebook telling Claude I was kind of getting used to our 'new look'. What do you think? A real keeper!
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