Sixteen tons

9 bags of cheap topsoil
9 bags of premium topsoil from Ace Hardware
5 bags of Ohio hardwood mulch
4 mini-roses
2 carpet phlox
3 white daisies
3 white balloonflowers
3 pink Canterbury bells
2 self-watering garden edging strips
1 flat hose
Approximately sixteen tons of sweat equity.

End result?





A flowerbed just waiting for 16 white grape hyacinths and 30 pink and white daffodils, plus, if I can find bulbs next spring, white gladiolus. I'm also planning to edge around it with bricks, and create a round pathway of pea gravel and stepping stones. Meanwhile, the new flowerbed in the back needs at least two bags of limestone gravel to soak up the overflow from heavy rain, and this fall it will get its quota of 87 bulbs in varying shades of blue and white. I've also got 100 daff bulbs coming in the fall for naturalizing along the sides of the back yard, and just this minute, I thought, "I've got 233 bulbs on their way this fall--what the HECK have I done to myself?" Eep!

Amy and Josh were just here--Amy did the lawn today instead of Josh, and she ran over the hose leading to the flowerbed above. She insisted on buying me a replacement and bringing it over, so they did. Then I had to hook it up and demonstrate the self-watering, which Amy was sweet enough to at least pretend was as cool to her as it is to me. And I finally got off my butt and put up the tree face Mom gave me for Christmas, and Amy loved that, too. One of the many things I adore about Amy is her enthusiasm--it's infectious and adorable.

I'm going to regret my greed when I start getting bulb shipments, I think, but for now I'm glad I spent the money on something that might well cheer me up later on. It's like sending a present to a future me. The present me is off for a chilled bath!

To paraphrase Berke Breathed,

L. R. Jammies, signing off and heading for the tub!