Cactus Garden and Lots of Misc...

I learned that some cacti grow really fast...how fast? So prickly fast that I had to take a shovel to the BIG ones and send the out to compost before they took over my garden...now I have this....

My biggest cactus that is chopped off in the back fell over during a big wind...I hope it survives. I have some succulents that I replanted there from the front yard because the raccoon and skunk won't leave them alone....along with grass that they are ripping up for grubs. Between those critters and the deer, my front yard doesn't stand a chance.

BUT...I did get a Scarecrow sprinkler to fend off my tomato plants and sunflowers in the backyard.....I cannot use it in the front yard BECAUSE some idiot has stolen the last 2.....the second one The Captain had run a cable around and locked it with a padlock...but apparently whomever is stealing them also owns bolt cutters.

Last spring I painted some pickets to build this little fence to hide the ugly house foundation....BUT with the way summer went, the little pickets sat painted and waiting in the corner of the bedroom. In September I took The Captain on one of his first trips out of the house to Home Depot to buy the long boards to put the pickets on.....one side got painted in October and the flip-side in February. Then last weekend The Captain got out the compressor and nail gun for the first time since before his near death adventures.....

It went well....the picket fence looks so cute....and the little old birdhouse I painted to match our house looks cute too.....and with a little luck, the sunflowers will grow tall enough to show through our bedroom window above.

Misc.....next weekend, April 27, for my birthday weekend, I will be participating in SWIM ACROSS AMERICA for my 3rd time....I have swam 3x since July...I may just SINK ACROSS AMERICA....I will be sure to update.

BEST OF ALL.....next week is finally my spring BREAK! Nothing like dragging it out until it is closer to summer than spring!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*SPRING BRREEEAAK!*

Before and After

I hadn't been posting much because my photos wouldn't load...then I tried Google Chrome and "wha-la!" IT WORKED!! So photo time...

 I have an itty-bitty backyard. We recently had two giant redwoods cut down....there was one in each corner of the small year. They were 50 years old and planted apparently when the house was first sold. One was rotten in the center and was dying...one good storm and it would have toppled. The other was pulling up our tiny patio and the roots were in our plumbing....so down they came. I posted photos of the workers scaling the tall trees 4 stories high...it was amazing! After the trees came down The Captain and I had the yard leveled and terraced. A small part was set aside for my cactus garden. So when the weather hit summer yesterday, (80 degrees!) I headed to Home Depot for cactus soil and thick gloves. I removed soil and then worked the cactus soil into the area. I whacked off the two large cactus and buttons off my barrel cactus out front. Then I walked the dog to the park and got a few starter pieces from there.

BEFORE

Then I added deocr....horse shoes, lava rock, horse skull and jaw, hummingbird feeder and rocks that we have collected on vacations over the years....all I have left is to add some small rocks that I plan to get from the soil and rock store next weekend.

Those nasturtiums wandered over from our neighbors...they will get to hang our until we decide what to plant there that doesn't take a lot of water.


Oh...and if you plan to transplant some cacti, keep some tweezers in your pocket.

*LIVSTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*PLANT YOURSELF SOME FUN*