tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-108177982011-07-07T18:23:24.410-05:00John is landscaping the yard of his new house and trying to make it maintenance free so he can go on RV trips easily. The starting point for the back yard was a few trees, a broken shed and then just lawn. The work started in June, 2004 and continues.John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comBlogger551100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-66485673815829849462010-08-08T16:37:00.003-05:002010-08-08T21:34:04.017-05:00

Not too many flowers in August, but here are some that I thought were worth posting. This pink blossom is one of a small handfull of bulbs that I planted by the kitchen composter. Two blooms popped open in the last few days and quickly faded away. The ants like them and you can see a few in the center of the bloom if you look carefully. The blossom is about two inches wide and about 10 inches

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-87898244049119175642010-08-08T16:28:00.001-05:002010-08-08T16:33:22.565-05:00

I went out the other evening in early August, 2010 and took a few pictures of the garden as it looks now. I had just mowed the lawn and it looked pretty good. It has changed a lot, and for the better in the last few years. A lot of flowers were in bloom this spring, but now the pickings are fewer. The White Maple replaced the Bradford Pear that got the foam treatment. It is growing nicely

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-62062313083565507702007-11-25T16:41:00.000-05:002007-11-25T16:41:09.943-05:00

 A hawk decided to have a dove for lunch by the sunflower seed feeder. My son caught this picture just as the hawk was grabbing the dove carcass to fly over the fence. We got a little too close. By the way, both doves and hawks are welcome in my garden.

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-7340630733305186112007-09-27T20:57:00.000-05:002007-09-27T21:02:01.455-05:00

Its been a year since the last post. I will try to update the blog with the main news and the pictures I have taken of the gardens in my yard. There have been some major events! The Bradford pear that had the cables installed has been removed. Another Bradford pear also decided to fall and has been removed and two large pine trees in my neighbors yard crashed into my yard, both at once,

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1159246179399907352006-09-25T23:37:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:52.644-05:00

We had a major rain storm over the weekend. There were over 3 inches of rain in the rain guage and the bucket in the backyard was full. My guess is 6 to 7 inches in about 4 hours at my house. The major event was a leaking skylight in the living room. We posted buckets and moved furniture and today I called a guy to fix that. In the yard I went out during the rain to watch the water wash away

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1158715929303191762006-09-19T20:19:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:52.565-05:00

Much as I don't like it, bermuda grass is what I have and it crawls far and fast, both on and under the ground. Today I dug a trench around the laveneder bushes and removed all the bermuda grass, then filled it with mulch. Now I can go along the trench with the steel blade power edger and trim the grass that crosses the line. Seems to work in other areas.In a small area by the port to under

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1158108959578893772006-09-12T19:40:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:52.493-05:00

It is late summer. Time to overseed the lawn. Keep in mind my lawn is huge in the back and OK in the front. I picked up 50 lbs of Pennington Kentucky 31 grass seed the other day at Sam's Club. 50 lbs does not cover the full lawn, but it will do the front and a good part of the rear. The front is reseeded over the crab grass and foxtails and other noxious weeds. There is new fertilizer on

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1154315919378595482006-07-30T22:08:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:52.425-05:00

I used insulating foam to fill the cavity in the Bradford pear tree. First I vacuumed and blew all the dust and crap from the hole which has lots of cracks and splits. Then I just filled the hole from the bottom to the top with foam. I was carefult to make sure all the broken wood was covered with a layer of foam. Then I went in the house to have a beer. When I came out, the foam had filled .

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1154144572591481742006-07-28T20:27:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:52.357-05:00

On Monday after the Bradford pear fell, I called several tree companies to get quotes on cleaning up the mess. I selected vendors with arborists on staff to get the quotes. Two replied promptly and the third called in too late after I gave the work to one of the others. I selected Arbor Care of East Tennessee in Lenoir City, near where I live. Their bid included removing the fallen limbs,

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1153710342376236902006-07-23T21:48:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:52.290-05:00

This morning, Sunday, July 23, 2006, this is what I found in the back yard. A good portion of the large Bradford pear tree has fallen down. Snapped off right where the branch and the trunk meet. Two branched fell. My son and his wife and children were staying overnight and they were in the room near the tree. When it fell, the tops of the branches whisked across the end of the house sounding

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1153108663122920432006-07-16T22:49:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:52.215-05:00

Today I planted 9 little mugo pines (pinus mugo mugho). These were late season on sale plants from Wal*Mart for $3.00 each. I put one out front last year and it is growing slowly, but nicely. These plants get 4 feet wide and 4 feet high at maturity, but don't look on the web. The pictures of these full grown plants are up to 20 ft high. Mostly they will stay small rounded evergreen conifers.

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1152583122143653072006-07-10T20:45:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:52.045-05:00

Grandson, Ryan, came over for the weekend and we placed five yards of mulch in the beds of the front yard. It goes on thick and lasts a couple of years. This is just ground brush mixed with composted sewage sludge and is available from several processing plants in the area. No color added, just brown mulch. We placed it 3 to 4 inches thick and the five yards just did the front yard. We also

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1152159345482838822006-07-05T22:48:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.947-05:00

This is a sad note. My big computer crashed. Yes, the one I built that had the big disk and a backup disk died. I think the backup disk is OK, but I am not sure. In any case, the pictures of the garden after I got the coral bark maple went to the bit bucket behind the desk.Where am I now? The Rye has grown and most has been removed or has glads growing up in it. The lilies didn't prosper in

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1145589082036977652006-04-20T21:08:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.821-05:00

I have been shopping for a coral bark maple for weeks, now. I finally found one at a nursury near downtown Knoxville. The owner said he didn't have any, but there were two just as you entered the lot. They were mixed in with some other Japanese maples and now labeled as coral bark, but only as Sango kaku. The last time I went in he really didn't have any. Here is a link to info about this

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1144550211119186952006-04-08T21:32:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.759-05:00

We went to Oak Ridge to the Willow Ridge nursury and found several more plants for the path to the woods. We got a nice witch hazel, a sweet olive, and a star magnolia plus some smaller plants. They have a broad selection and very knowledgeble staff. I will be planting for the next few days.

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1144472189129122142006-04-07T23:36:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.698-05:00

Yesterday I picked up a very nice multi-trunk redbud tree to place on the northern side of the new pathway to the woods. There is an out-of-the-way nursury downtown (Knoxville, TN) that has very good prices. This will be an outstanding spring showpiece next year. We will have to wait for the pictures.Today I priced the other small trees and shrubs that I am looking for. Found the Star

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1144122446419313162006-04-03T22:33:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.634-05:00

Massive thunderstorms last night left piles of hail under the shrubs and beside the RV. Today is the day to take the RV to Kodak to have the generator repaired. There are still three yards of mulch in the driveway that has to be moved so the RV can get out of the yard. Also the ground is very wet after the rain -- we got a little more than an inch -- so I had to wait for the water to soak in

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1144039722481634552006-04-02T23:41:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.573-05:00

Five camelias are now resident in the shade of the maple and the Bradford pear and the mulched area is bigger by about 2 yards of mulch. I had to move the kausa dogwood to do the job right, thus requiring the expansion of the mulched area. An interesting aside, I found lots of small rocks, say 1-1/2 inch across, looking like worn crushed granite or railroad ballast buried where I planted the

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1143774937135900632006-03-30T21:21:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.503-05:00

I recieved 5 yards of mulch this morning. It will go into the back yard to make the path into the woods and to expand the mulched planting area around the big Bradford Pear. The path into the woods comes from an idea in my landscaping book, "Home Landscaping Southeast Region," by Roger Holmes and Rita Buchanan, Creative Homeowner, Upper Saddle River, NJ, ISBN: 1-48011-003-7. See www.creative

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1143698809773031292006-03-29T23:09:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.442-05:00

I picked up three blackberry plants. Thornless - Arapaho. Planted all three somewhat apart along the fence on the western side of the backyard. This is the area where the leaf mulch was placed in the fall. I have also planted 10 trees in this area. These trees are the little things available from the Arbor Day Foundation. This is the second set of these trees I have planted. The first set

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1141521443006609782006-03-04T20:17:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.375-05:00

Landscaping is a landscaping design site that I will use for ideas in my upcomming spring planting. Lots of good stuff here.

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1141403494521252272006-03-03T11:23:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.308-05:00

Crocuses are blooming. Daffodils are beginning to bloom. Tulips are comming up. Green onions are peeping out of the ground in the vegetable garden. My rye is growing gangbusters. (This is the grain that I planted too thickly.) Sweet peas are sprouting along the fence behind the blueberries. Day lilies are waking up. Forsithia are in bloom in the nieghbor's yards. Pansies are blooming.

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1140194418510893652006-02-17T11:15:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.241-05:00

Today was so nice I planted the Rudbeckia Goldstrum (Black Eyed Susan) and Echinacea Purpurea on the west end of the yard under the three trees there. The three trees are a Bradford Pear, a Red Maple, and a white Dogwood. Each has a 10 ft diameter mulched area underneath that makes it easier to mow the grass. Each also has a butterfly bush that I put in last spring. The new plantings will

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1137903100252554822006-01-21T22:57:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.155-05:00

StrawberriesPicked up 20 strawberry plants at the store the day before yesterday to replace the ones in our two strawberry pots. I moved the ones in the pots (all Quinault) to a row in front of the blueberry bushes, then repotted with the new plants and some of the old ones since there were only 10 in the bunches and there are 12 holes in each pot. The new berries are Sequoia and

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1137290386488854692006-01-14T20:57:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.093-05:00

Snow today, so I fed the birds. We got only one inch and that was gone early. I read a book, went to sleep and woke with bright sun shining on me through the window. I looked out the other window to see snow flakes falling. There are two more garden plots to dig. I may build two more for additional vegies later in the season.

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1137043320796094082006-01-11T23:29:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:51.021-05:00

It is winter now, early January, but the weather is really nice. 60 deg F daytime and reasonably warm at night. Time to dig the garden plots that I described back in June or July. In the spring, I built 8 ft x 4 ft frames, laid them on the grass in the back yard, put down newspaper to smother the grass and covered it all with soil amendment like fine pine bark. My garden was planted on these

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1134609120240626822005-12-14T20:08:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.951-05:00

Yesterday and today I cleaned up all the leaves from the three Bradford pear trees. They drop their leaves just before Christmas. I vacuumed the leaves in the front. Took forever! In the back, I just blew them over by the fence across the back where the grape vines are. We will see if they do any good (or harm) to the grapes. Some snow today. Just a few flakes.

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1134436159426678692005-12-12T20:03:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.874-05:00

I went out to the shed in the back yard to refill the bird feeders since we had been away for a few days. I got out the waste bsket that has the bird seed in it and removed the plastic bin that almost fits and acts as the lid for the waste basket. There was a mouse inside running around on top of the bird seed. He couldn't get out because the plastic bin acted as a one way stopper. He was fat

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1134171272197988392005-12-09T18:13:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.812-05:00

We completed the trip around Lake Superior and had a great time. We have almost 1000 pictures of waterfalls and giant moose and giant geese and huge canyons, among other less spectacular visions. I may entertain some pictures here in the future, but not now. This blog is really about the garden, so let me update that.The corn came up and grew on schedule and produced approximately on time just

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1122646946150843682005-07-29T09:07:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.752-05:00

Saturday, July 23, 2005, On the road to the north along the MississippiWe left the Winnebago campground at 8:30 in the morning to get the unit weighed. We missed them yesterday. Weighing is done and the weights are OK on all wheels. We are a little heavy on one side in the rear, but the axel weights are all OK. The Saturn weighs less than the 3500 lb hitch limit, so that is OK, too. We are

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1122646067217460542005-07-29T08:52:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.692-05:00

Friday, July 22, 2005, Rapair the Starter and do Laundry in Forest City...We took the RV to the Ford dealer in Forest City and had the starter and solenoid replaced.While this was being done, we went into the town and did the laundry in the laundromat. A busy place and quite hot both inside and outside. Temperatures have been in the 90s for the last few days.With the car repaired and the laundry

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1122645130314462042005-07-29T08:45:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.631-05:00

Thursday, July 21, 2005, Party at the Wilson's and Crystal Gayle...The last session was on the internet and web pages for State clubs and for Sections. This presentation tried, but missed the boat for the group that attended. Some like me have a pretty good feeling for doing web pages, at least amature ones. Others were absolutely green. We suggested that they have more depth on this subject

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1122644716810514382005-07-29T08:41:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.570-05:00

Wednesday, July 20, 2005, more classes...Awnings need to be cleaned with warm soapy water, then rolled up wet for 10 minutes; unrolled and rinsed, then dried open before re-rolling up. When rolling it up, let the awning go and roll hard up for the last foot and one-half. This will assure that the latch is secure. All according the A&E.Towing information. Always receck your linkage before

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1122644504447128432005-07-29T08:40:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.506-05:00

Tuesday, July 19, 2005, More rallying and a visit to the Visitor Center and to the factory store...Fixed the door stop. The plastic is getting old and the outside connector that holds the door open broke when we closed the door. The hook just pulled out of its hinge, taking some of the plastic with it. Got a new one from the factory store. Apparently this is an often replaced item.Arranged

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1122644439604422562005-07-29T08:38:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.406-05:00

Monday, July 18, 2005, The rally business starts...The first thing for us on Monday was to go into town and see the Ford agency. Service was friendly and they set us up an appointment for Friday morning to fix the starter and solenoid. With that out of the way we went to Bills Friendly Market and did some grocery shopping and got more bottled water for coffee and drinking. Nice store, could be

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1122644302861941772005-07-29T08:37:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.344-05:00

Sunday, July 17, 2005, Arrival at the GNR site in Forest City, IowaWe took our time leaving the park in Clearlake, Iowa, and drove into town toward Mason City looking for propane. We didn't find any, so ventured back and drove through the corn fields up to Forest City. We found the camp ground and rally site and continued into town, still looking for propane. Of course, on Sunday one would not

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1122644242896079662005-07-29T08:36:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.281-05:00

Saturday, July 16, 2005 Almost made it to WinnebagoThe tiny pea blossoms covering the campground and along the highways are birds foot trefoil. Gbout 24 feet long overall. Well, I asked if I could take a picture and by the time the conversation ended and I got away it was already 9:30. The Indian was attached to a trailer holding the Jeep and a bunch of bicycles. Seems there are three little

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1122644167265731812005-07-29T08:35:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.218-05:00

Friday, July 15, 2005 The second dayWe drove through Indiana and Illinois, both states paved with corn. The corn goes on for miles and miles. We did get a little history about a guy named John Deere. He invented a plow that was suitable for the tough prairie grass and shrubs. With this new plow, the swampy prairie was drained and plowed and turned into infinite corn fields. All the natural

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1122644049598619712005-07-29T08:32:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.146-05:00

Thursday, July, , 2005 The trip beginsWe got away later than I expected. The goal was 9 am, but Dixie didn't understand the urgency of the matter and we left about 11. It was raining as we hooked up. This was the first time to hook up this Saturn, so it goes slower than will be normal. The tail lights and turn signal on one side didn't work, so had to fix that. The bulb was not burned out,

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1121310964384713322005-07-13T22:02:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.081-05:00

Today was final packing and getting the contract for the lawn and going to the Dr. and getting the propane leak fixed. All are done!!!!! We are both pooped. Dixie said a few unkind words to me and stomped off to bed. I decided to add a line or two to the blog.We had rain this morning, so it was slow going for a while. My doctors appointment was at 11 and he is not far away. I almost didn't

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1121212044916039992005-07-12T18:24:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:50.020-05:00

After our last trip to California, we moved. As a result, the supplies in the RV are empty and the nooks and crannies are filled with odds and ends stored for the move. Lots of fishing tackle, all of it, in fact; sleeping bags and tent; that kind of stuff. Well, we are removing all that and restocking supplies and hardware. The step ladder is packed. Very handy if needed on a long trip.

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1121137277609901172005-07-11T21:42:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.954-05:00

Yesterday I spent all day working on the electrical system for the brake lights on the Saturn that we tow with our RV. This was the first time we have used this car and the hitch is all new and the connections for the electrical cable are sort of unknown. Since I built the cable for the other car, I was somewhat unsure about the use of it on the new car.Dixie and I hooked everything up and got

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1120688416526818232005-07-06T17:05:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.896-05:00

I built four vegetable patches on the lawn this spring. These are just simple frames made of three 2x4x8 boards. One is cut in half for the two ends. These were staked at the for corners on the lawn with enough room to run the riding mower around them. The stakes prevent accidental movement of the frames. The lawn was covered with newspaper at least 4 pages thick and overlapping. Then I added

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1111805210156332082005-03-25T21:31:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.829-05:00

Today we moved the yew from the front curb. This shrub was planted too close to the electrical service box and in the summer is overwhelmed by the two large grass plants right next to it. Grandson, Ryan, came over in the afternoon and we moved the shrub to the fence to the back yard. This is what the area where we replanted it looked like before it was moved. Several days ago, I sprayed this

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1111591372495932692005-03-23T09:39:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.764-05:00

It has been two weeks since I updated this blog. Things are coming along. For one, Ryan, my grandson came over and spent a day helping with the brute work in the yard. Chopping up branches, moving mulch, digging and planting bulbs. Nice to have a hand and he really helped. We got the glads planted under the trees and the lilies planted along the fence on the north side of the lot. The

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1110512882915449562005-03-10T22:29:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.703-05:00

Yesterday I planted two more dogwoods (Cornus Florida) in the big mulch area across from the deck. These are in the plan for this area and another Kausa dogwood goes in between them. The excess soil from the holes is going to the ramp for the shed door.I pondered the Bradford Pear and notices that it is beginning to open the buds. Should be really pretty in a couple of days. There are two

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1110321677339731952005-03-08T17:39:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.642-05:00

When I got back from Nell's house I planted the two dogwoods by the deck. Cold and snowy in the morning but nice and 47 in the afternoon. I sorted the rocks for the north side of the shed and for the entrance to the shed, then came in out of the cold. I need to take a couple of pictures, but not much to see yet.

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1110321491183692482005-03-08T17:24:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.582-05:00

Nell is one of my CHIPS clients. CHIPS is the KORRnet program for Computers for Homebound & Isolated Persons. I volunteer to help those in the Rockwood and Harriman areas in Tennessee. Anyway, Nell called and left a message that she had lost her Internet Explorer (IE) icon on her desktop. I told her I would come out on Monday and reinstall it for her. I went out there and took the Microsoft

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1110320511519931762005-03-08T17:05:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.525-05:00

I ordered five more yards of mulch and it was delivered right away. Spent two days placing it in the back yard along the north fence. This covered the 10 tiny trees that have been temporarily placed just inside the fence. These trees came from the Arbor Day people. I will let them leaf out and identify them with the data that came with them. Of course each tree was marked with a different color

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1109563324384780142005-02-27T22:07:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.469-05:00

This week, after it quit raining, I placed some more rocks on the south side of the shed to be the mowing strip for that garden. It is 5 feet deep and 12 feet long. It took about 35 stones to mark the outline. I began setting the stones down to level with the lawn, then quit. It is hard to dig out a bermuda grass lawn. There will be a similar garden on the north shady side of the shed. That

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1109016096226541732005-02-21T15:01:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.389-05:00

Here is a picture of the new stone border I put in around the patio. There is a stone path to the faucet on the wall. The stones there are set in sand to make them stable, othewise everything is just laid on the edge of the landscape fabric under the mulch. More to be added are a dogwood tree and a climbing rose on the brick wall plus ferns and astilbe at the edges of the deck to help hide the

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1108873110775499052005-02-19T23:16:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.330-05:00

Today I put the edging of river stones around the mulch by the deck in the yard. There is also a path through the mulch to the water spigot. Looks nice. If it doesn't rain, I will take a picture tomorrow, Sunday, and post it.

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1108339981821580872005-02-13T19:13:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.272-05:00

The Fernbank museum had a special display of frogs. We went to see it and Allie was really fascinated by the little buggers. She stood close to the glass and looked. Dixie, her grandmother, picked her up for this better view of the green frog on the glass. We all had a great time. Her brother, Jack who is now four, liked to push the buttons on the displays and spent more time doing that than

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1108338830382885252005-02-13T18:53:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.143-05:00

Allie getting ready... 

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10817798.post-1108339262147815112005-02-13T18:42:00.000-05:002006-11-15T12:45:49.214-05:00

A new blog by John and Dixie Andrews.We have an RV and do a little traveling. I thought I might post some pictures of places we have been and things we have done as well as some pictures (the better ones) of our family for all to see.This weekend we went to Atlanta to see our now 2-year-old granddaughter, Allie. Here are some pictures I took while we were getting ready to go to the frog show at

John Ahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01935847138820861322noreply@blogger.com