Side Yard Revealed

No drum roll today .... this isn't all that spectacular, but it's Cooper approved.  With eight less sprinklers running a total of 60 minutes, it should save me a bit on water and electricity.  Part of that "bit" will go back on the front to try and keep it looking as decent as possible.   The rocks are big enough I can blow the leaves off if necessary without moving the rocks at all.

My morning lounge on the patio revealed two sprinklers that required attention.  A homeowners work is never done.  I don't know how they start out straight up, yet end up at a 45 degree angle.  I dug clear down to the bottom of two, about ten inches, made them stand straight up, then put a few rocks at the bottom to hold them in place.  Don't you just love all that dirt under your fingernails that doesn't want to come out?

Next I went out front and dug up four plants that have died.  I think they are called Lady of the Nile.  Why they passed on to the flower garden in the sky is beyond me.  I'm sure part of it is because the gardeners kept cutting the drip lines.  

Wasn't I surprised when I dug them up to find a billion ants.  Really??  Do ants kill plants?  I've never seen anything like it.  They spread like wildfire, right up my legs.  In an instant I had bites everywhere.  I'm guessing they set up housekeeping because there was water there?  All four plants went in the garbage bin.  

I do rather like the minimal look, but will try to find something to plant ... maybe rose bushes.  I will most likely have to replace both those plants in front for the same reason.

With the afternoon heat up to 103, I was cooped up inside sewing, but even that gets boring.  I got out my instant pot to cook up a little beef for Cooper, part of which I steal for tacos.  I was completely distracted by the Bull Fighting Championship until I heard BEEP BEEP!!  BURN notice!!!  I forgot to put in the water.  I'm beginning to worry about myself.  A quick fix and an hour later we had BEEF!

Having spent so much time in the back yard, it finally dawned on me that I had the rig plugged in to power ..... but I have SOLAR now.  I unplugged it and let the sun charge the batteries.  That won't make a noticeable difference in the electric bill, but every little bit helps.

I didn't get cake for my birthday, but I did have a bowl or two (okay three) of ice cream.  In an effort to reduce the food bill, I picked up Save Mart's brand.  Caramel butter pecan.  This is not it.  That container had pecans in it that were so rancid I couldn't eat it.  I'm not kidding ... it was awful!  I took pictures of the code numbers and will let them know just how terrible it was.

This is Tillamook brand, so you know every single bite is delicious with NO rotten nuts!!  Of course there's a little extra caramel on top.

So today I'm heading out on a road trip.  Good friend Cyndae invited all of us ... Cooper, Jonathan and myself ... to come stay for the weekend.  Since it's Labor Day weekend, traffic will be a bear, but it's worth it to go visit and see what shopping trouble we can get into.  She lives up North where there are actually clothing stores!!!

I'm not taking the rig, just the kids and I in the truck.  This should be fun, right?  Me, two kids, kid groceries and my luggage in the truck, not to mention dog toys!!!