Tidying up

Simply an energizing day! The perfect temperature at 75F/23C, sunshine and a light breeze. Found myself drawn outside while sipping the morning teacup & wandering around the yard, finally, sitting with Wendy dog on the back porch steps just soaking in the sunshiny warmth.

I washed a couple of loads of laundry and today was the first clothesline day of the year. I enjoy having my clean clothes smell like sunshine after a few hours outside. I'm happily using the clothesline rather than the dryer, it definitely saves on the electric bill. Wendy dog has been lounging about the patio moving from sun to shade patio stones when she gets too hot. The shady clothesline area was the perfect doggie hangout for a while.

The leaf clutter was raked off the gardens in the front yard yesterday and although it is early in the season, I think a lot of perennials died over this cold winter. Four of the Buddleia bushes have no signs of life yet, but I will wait a week or so before I decide their fate. Happily, my Brunnera plants are up and blooming and the bleeding heart is getting ready to bloom out as well. I finished pruning back the last of the Knockout roses today. All the rose bushes had significant winter kill and needed canes cut back about one foot.

We also camouflaged the rain barrel #2 in the front yard with pre-wired bamboo screening from Home Depot. I don't mind looking at the blue plastic of the rain barrel but the neighbors might not find it as attractive as I do. The natural bamboo is an instant conceal rather than waiting for squash vines to grow, and it hitches together easily with my new favorite attachment device, zip ties. Tomorrow rain barrel #3 goes up at the edge of the front driveway complete with its own bamboo jacket. Rain is expected on Monday, it will fill the new barrel & hopefully inspire languishing perennial roots to send up shoots. Fingers crossed...