Getting to the Before and After Photos

This is our car in the driveway, but the Google car photographed a front yard with the Crepe Myrtle neglected, the maple needing trimming, and no roses. The azaleas are in bloom next door. The sunny garden, on the left side of the house, is just sun-baked lawn.

I will get a similar view of the front yard as it looks now, once the sun comes up. Rain is expected early and late today. I distributed all my stored rainwater yesterday, planted some day lilies donated by Almost Eden, and pulled up maple trees with our helper.

GJ: "I thought you pulled all of these maple trees up." We laughed.
Helper: "I did. Where are they all coming from? Two in the back have to be dug out now."

We often talk about how much has been accomplished. Our helper dug the first eight holes for the TV roses. We mulched that area with newspapers and shredded wood material. We also mulched along the fence perimeter, and two areas for gardening in the back.

Mrs. I is part of the gardening team, offering great suggestions for placing the roses and eliminating the front lawn. Right now her favorite calladiums are popping up for the first time, red and green ones contrasting with whites.

Another job has been trimming all the trees, pruning and mulching the Crepe Myrtle bush. Trees have offered up a mountain of trash to haul away. The branches in the backyard were hanging down to shoulder level when we arrived.

Now pruned branches are often used in landscaping. One branch had a nice framework for a spider web, at eye level, and I saw a delicate web there, right in the high traffic area for flying insects - fresh food flown in for our helper.