Playing in the Dirt

Joy got her rocks Saturday as planned and I spread them around the area randomly to prepare for the red rock that will fall between them. That rock is being delivered this morning. We have to get Casoron and weed barrier cloth in place. We're taking the full three Memorial weekend days off from work (Hallelujah!) to get this thing done rain or shine. You can't tell by the picture but a couple of these slabs had to be 300 pounds or more easy. Joy bought a bubbling rock yesterday to go closer to the windows and I cast my vote for getting one less puny. She'll also throw a maple in the mix under the windows. This should look like an American version of a Japanese garden when we're done. No lawn to mow, crunchy under foot unless you hop from stone to stone as a neighbor kid has already demonstrated.
Sunday, good neighbor Don got his long blade chainsaw out and fell three trees along the north side of our property that were waiting for death anyway. These big, scraggly things have been a target for eradication for a few years and their absence has, believe it or not, improved the peripheral view.
The new neighbors to our south broke ground yesterday. A little deja vu crept in seeing the carved up dirt. They claim they'll be through in about six months and it's entirely possible since they have a regular builder guiding the project. It only took us 14 months with our house.