landscaping the front yard -- november 2003
Before -- the yard had gotten a little crazy. I like Ivy, because it's low
maintenance. But the
other bushes were just outta hand.
And I never liked them much anyway. Except for the
hyacinth, which was nice, but
the trumpet vines did a number on it recently.
So I called some
friends. Once they saw the deplorable state of my front yard,
they rapidly agreed to help.
That's Byron, Gary and John. Byron's the man with
the plan. I left myself totally in his
hands. When they are not doing benevolent
favors for friends, they are famous rock
stars.
There used to be a horrid pine tree in the front yard. I cut it down a few years
before but left
a stump. Byron said the stump must go.
So they attacked it with picks and axes and shovels
and rakes and implements of
destruction. It was a difficult stump.
John broke his axe on it.
First
Byron was meticulously grooming the ivy.
Then Byron went after the stump for a while.
Then Gary went after it with a chainsaw.
John watching the stump removal. Then he and I went to Home Depot to get a tree
and some mulch.
We drove right past Edgar Allan Poe's house. It wasn't exactly on the way, but
it was a worthy detour.
John recommended the black mulch. Home Depot had no trees though. So I called
Franks Nursery. They said
they had one tree. "What kind of tree did I want?" they asked.
I told them that,
ideally, it would be a
tree that earned it's keep. Like an apple tree.
"You're in luck," they said,
"the tree we have is an apple tree."
Byron planting the tree and overcovering with coconut husk mulch, which smells
like candy bars.
After four hours, we were done.
And the next morning, I had a new front yard.
Next year, I shall be making apple pie all the time.
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