The weeds just LOVE the rich soil and mulch. I know, I know, weeds are just misplaced flowers. But the darn dandelions should stay in the grass -- that's where they belong. So after an hour and a half of labor, this is what I can show:
Yes, you can see a line where I stopped. Give me a break! I laid down plastic, scraped the mulch and soil onto the plastic, put the pulled weeds into my yellow wagon, laid down the landscaping material, and put the soil and mulch back on. Yep, that took an hour and a half. That's one bag (2 cu. yd.) of mulch. BTW, I can no longer lift the bags because we had a thunderstorm yesterday and they are sodden.
Don't ask -- there are two more mounds which are twice as big as the above to be done. I should be done by July. I did, however, deadhead the daffs and decided to put my bird bath in the front until I can get out back. It's still too wet -- that's my excuse -- to hit the back yard. No, I didn't fill the bird bath because it had clouded up and I thought it was going to rain. It still might.
The tulips are very happy this year. I think I need more for around the tree.
My neighbor came by and said, 'You missed a spot.' My non-verbal reply was not ladylike. It was Italian though.
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Lunch ...
It's shrimp, Miracle Noodles (fettuccini shaped) and spaghetti sauce with parmesan cheese on top.
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If you can help it, don't go to two grocery stores on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon after everyone has been outside all morning. At Whole Foods, where I made a quick decision to go after seeing the line of traffic ahead of me, I got behind an old (o.k., older) woman who just stopped and stared at the bread. Her body was facing right, her head was looking left. I couldn't get around her, so I waited (im)patiently. When she did notice that I was right behind her, she jumped as if I had stuck her with a pin.
Surviving the above, I went to Aldis. I was in a funk because I couldn't find a couple of things that I wanted when a screech penetrated my fog. And every 8 seconds, the same child screeched. I could have strangled the mother. I couldn't get out of there fast enough, but since there was only one (count 'em) cashier, it took me a while. But looking at that poor young woman slaving away -- who still had at least 20 minutes of the screeching, I thought, "Let it go."
Since I grazed at the cooked foods at Whole Foods, I don't have to cook anything until tomorrow. I'm starting to feel that bending and kneeling I did while gardening this morning. I feel like the TinMan who needs a can of oil!
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I have been binge watching "Mad Men." It's a bit depressing in spots -- especially now when they recapped the JFK assassination and ensuing murder and panic. But it is fun to see how accurate they are in wardrobe and social mores. The series does make me want whiskey and a cigarette. I sure couldn't drink at work the way they do -- I'd be asleep for the rest of the afternoon.
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Slipped into Sunday
So, yes, it is true that I'm writing this on Monday morning, but you can pretend it's still Sunday.
After doing some of my usual weekend prep, Cyndi and her mother Natalie, picked me up and we went to the Springfield Armory.
Yes, the Springfield Armory is part of the National Park Service -- who knew? We went to hear a portrayal of Lucy Stone by Ms. Black (no, I can't remember her first name). It was wonderful! Not only is Ms. Black a wonderful actress and raconteur, but she also did a lot of research and was able to give us a clear picture of the mores of Lucy Stone's time in the 1800's. I enjoyed the presentation thoroughly.
The first myth that she dispelled was that northerners were totally against slavery. She gave me a lot of facts that contradicted what I was taught. There was also the notion of "gradual" emancipation which held that as slaves were educated, they could gradually become citizens -- with the right to vote. Still the women of any color could not vote. I had no idea how completely women were treated like chattel.
I have a zillion pictures on my phone, having forgotten my camera, but it is so difficult to download them that you only get a couple here.
As you enter the Armory and look up, you see this is how they lowered the manufactured guns down from the machining floor (using a block and tackle).
Before this, I had thought that an armory only stored guns -- I did not know that's where they manufactured them. This armory also reconditioned guns seized from the Confederates to be reused by the Union soldiers.
Who knew that, once again, Massachusetts was a leader? I will have to study up about Shays Rebellion. All I had been taught was that it was a tax revolt, but somehow I missed the "taking up of arms." Since they now call us "Taxachusetts," I'm not quite sure how that turned out.
More later. Am off to work!
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