April 3-4: Yard Work

We've had a week of nice temperatures, so we decided to start our yard work in earnest this weekend. We raked the yard to get thatched dead grass out of the way, trimmed back bushes, swapped the storm windows for the screens, washed windows, and laid down grass seed. And Craig discovered and moved a (very) dead squirrel that had been covered under a snowbank all winter. That all is enough for one weekend, even on a small lot.

I've heard it before, but I truly understand now how every project for a new homeowner necessitates a trip to Home Depot (and a call to your parents to find out just what the heck you're supposed to be looking for in a hose). The Home Depot list for this weekend (from two separate trips):

• two rakes


• shovel


• hedge trimmers


• garden gloves


• grill ignitor


• grill cleaner


• 75' garden hose


• hose sprayer attachment


• big watering can


• spading fork


• 2 small bags "sun and shade" grass seed


• 1 small bag "shady" grass seed


• 1 large bag lawn fertilizer


• handheld spreader for fertilizer and grass seed

Craig used the spading fork to loosen the dirt in a big bare patch in the front yard before spreading grass seed and fertilizer. He is also modeling the hose and sprayer as he wets it down.



I cut back the bushes by the carport. I didn't take anything out, just trimmed everything back to a more manageable size. They appear to be some sort of berry bush - there were dried berries at the top of the stalks. The big pile of brush is just sitting there until I figure out St. Paul's procedures for getting rid of yard waste.



I washed the windows and put the screens up. The screens were surpisingly easy to put up - they have two hooks at the top and one at the bottom that are hooked shut from the inside. We can hear the birds much better without the storm windows on.



Perhaps most importantly, Craig put our big grill back together with a new burner and ignitor. We really enjoyed having burgers on Saturday night. The first grilled meal of the spring tastes soooo good.