Yes, another year is about over, and for many, the end of the millennium. It's been a busy year here in Kenmore. Most of that activity has related to my backyard, and it's landscape activities. But now I have a nice backyard, and it is now mostly a matter of waiting for the shrubs and trees to grow. This was also a good excuse to find new nurseries, and scout around seeing what they have. It's amazing how much time can be spent just looking at their stock. And the variety of plants and shrubs.
The first job was to plant a row of trees which form a living fence. My neighbour Denny and I embarked upon this in April, and the trees have been growing nicely ever since. This was the catalyst to start on the serious work involved.
The next project, involving both my neighbours, was to have a cement path built around the side of each of our houses. We saved some money on concrete deliveries by doing them all at the same time. But we didn't do the work - we paid a crew to do that. Money well spent, as far as I am concerned. Given how soggy the ground becomes during the wet season (that is, most of the year) it is nice to be able to move stuff around without becoming bogged.
Meanwhile, back at the fence, my other neighbour Phan and I decided to build a fence between our properties. This was mainly so that Phan can be sure his young children will not be able to escape from the back yard. That was a fun project, and helpful for me, as Phan's father is a builder, and so he was the expert fence builder, and I was the labourer. And we also came to know each other better.
Then it was time to complete the sprinkler system I installed in the back yard last year. The back yard was complete, but the pipes were not connected to the water line. I saved that for this year, since I had to dig up the front lawn for that task, so it made more sense to do it all at once. So the job for May was to dig the front lawn, and add the sprinklers and the connections to water the gardens. The benefit of doing this in May is that the ground is still soft because it has not had a chance to dry out.
After this, my neighbour Denny and I built a cement block wall along side my path, and then later we bought quite a pile of dirt and (among other things) filled in behind the wall. Now photinia bushes are planted, and given a few years, will provide a nice privacy screen between our houses.
But it was time to return home, and attack the back garden. First step was to have some (hah! Some) dirt delivered. Denny and I distributed this over our back yards, to provide a decent base for the plants to come. Then came the fun with plants, and nurseries.
Before all the plants were in (and there are still a few missing), it was time to put bark down. Again, I did this with my neighbour Denny. We ordered another couple of truck loads of bark, and started distributing it over our gardens. Bark is much easier to carry around than dirt! We also sold a little to one of our neighbours, as we over ordered a bit.
That pretty much finished he gardening for the year, so come August, it was time to visit the furniture stores and buy some new furniture, as there were a couple of (basically) empty rooms in the house, and I have been here nearly two years now. I bought a sofa and love seat (a small sofa for those unfamiliar with the term) for the living room, and another sofa, love seat and chair for the family (back) room. I have retired my old sofa of 10 years.
Work has been chugging along. I keep thinking I am almost finished, but something new always seem to crop up. As somebody once said, "Work is the curse of the drinking class"!
Best wishes for 2000!