Yard

(There is another new post below this one. If you can make it through this one. Sorry, it is REALLY long!)

We have been trying to squeeze in the time to work on our yard this spring and have managed to get a few things done despite weather conditions and a few other minor setbacks! Here are some pictures of our curbing:

Here is Chris, testing the sprinkler system after he finished putting the heads on and adjusting them. After making sure that they all worked manually, we headed into the garage to check the automatic settings. They all worked in the fall, so we figured there would be no problem. Unfortunately, half of them didn't work any more! After checking all of the connections, digging a bunch of holes, etc., Chris finally found the source of the problem and was able to fix it. So, we now have a fully functioning sprinkler system! I am so impressed with him for doing the whole system by himself!

Even though it was fairly early in the spring, we were already getting overrun by weeds. We priced weed killers and figured out how much it would cost to spray our whole yard. Then, I found a 20% off coupon from a lawn care company and decided to have them come out and give us an estimate. With the coupon, it was cheaper to have them come and spray than it would have been for us to just do it ourselves, so we called them up and made an appointment. I told them that we were getting ready to plant seed in our yard, and plant our garden, and wanted to know how long it would be before we could get started. 2 weeks, they said. Perfect. That gives us enough time to finish raking, tilling, and prepping the dirt for seed!

We followed all of the directions they gave us to the letter, and, about a week after they came and sprayed we tilled our garden, started raking, and getting everything ready. We were more than halfway finished with the yard, so I called the guy that we wanted to have come and do our hydro-seeding to set up an appointment. He asked me to call the weed killer company and double check our timing with them, and to also find out what kinds of chemicals they had used. I called them. I talked to the receptionist and asked her what the chemicals were that they had used on our yard. She acted kind of weird about it, and told me that she wasn't allowed to disclose that information. Here is a nice summary of the rest of our conversation:

"What? You can't tell me the names of the chemicals that you put on MY yard? OK, we'll deal with that in a minute. Can you at least tell me how long we need to wait before we can plant"?

"Let's see" she said. "It looks like the weed killer lasts for about two weeks, and, the pre-emergent will last for two months"

"I'm sorry, what?!"

"The pre-emergent will last for about two months"

"Two months?!"

"Yes, two months"

"That's impossible. We are ready to plant right now! Are you telling me that there is something on my dirt that will kill anything that I plant for the next TWO months?!"

"That's what it says right here".

(By this time my face is all red and I have steam coming out of my ears, but I was trying to stay calm.) "I specifically told you guys when you came out to give us an estimate and again when we made the appointment over the phone, that we were trying to get our yard in as soon as possible, and that we were getting ready to plant a garden. You told us it would only be two weeks until we could get started and now you are saying that it will be TWO MONTHS?! I'm sorry, but we cannot wait for another two months. I need you to double check your records."

"Why don't I have someone call you back in a few minutes."

So, the owner of the company called us back after about an HOUR. He asked us if by chance we had watered it in yet, because if we hadn't, it might not be as bad. I informed him that yes of course we had, because they had told us to and we had followed all of the instructions that they had given us because we didn't want anything to go wrong! He felt terrible and told us that of course we wouldn't be charged for the services. I told him that was great, but it still didn't change the fact that I couldn't plant anything in my yard for two months. I don't think he knew what to say, so he asked me if he could get back to me. By the time he called me back the next day, I had a few really good options for him. I told him he could pay the difference between seed and sod, so that we could just lay sod instead, he could bring in a few inches of new topsoil for us, or he could find a product to neutralize the chemicals.

After a few more calls, he was able to find the latter. They came out and sprayed this black charcoal stuff all over our yard (and driveway and sidewalks and house). We had to water it a bunch of times, and then we were faced with the unpleasant task of raking ALL OVER AGAIN. Only this time, because of all of the watering, and drying, and baking in the hot sun, the ground was as HARD as a rock. We almost gave up and hired someone to come and do it for us, when our neighbors screwed some bolts into a pallet and pulled it around our yard with a borrowed four wheeler just to see if it would help. It loosened the dirt up a little, but not quite enough.

Chris and Spencer started joking around about tying a rope to it and pulling the pallet around themselves. It was funny to joke about, but then the wheels in Spencer's head started turning, and once that happens, there is no turning back. The boys went outside and found a rope, they tested out the weight, they talked about getting some bigger bolts that wouldn't bend, and before I knew it, they had formulated a plan. The next morning, Spencer went to Home Depot and then came back and got to work. After gathering up a pool noodle, some duct tape, and some boxes of water, Spencer's contraption was assembled and ready to be tested. Isaac would have been impressed had he not been in school.

Here is Spencer, pulling this thing around our yard and loosening up the dirt for us! Occasionally, he required a little extra incentive to keep on going (thanks for the donuts, Sarah)!!!

The water boxes were periodically replaced by kids who wanted rides. While Spencer did all of the hard work, I raked and loosened the dirt around all of the edges of the yard, curbing, etc that he couldn't get to. It was a lot of work, but, we managed to finish by about 3:30. Then we didn't move for the rest of the day. Chris was able to get off work early and he went out with the landscaping rake and evened everything out and got rid of all of the big rocks. Seriously though, there is NO way we would have been able to get everything done in one day without Spencer's help!

We called right then and set up an appointment with the Hydro-seeding guys for the next day. We wanted to do it before anything else could go wrong! Spencer and I went around and roped off the yard as soon as they were finished, and now we are just waiting, watering, and waiting!!!

So far, the kids have managed to stay off of the yard, which is a relief.
We did have a massive rain storm and a large lake in our backyard yesterday, but, the hydro-seeding guy said that it should be OK still, and if not, he will come and re-spray it for us! I am just so excited to have grass for the kids to play on that I can hardly wait. I tried to plan it out so that by the time the baby comes, they will be able to use it. Despite the setbacks, I think our timing is still on, so, keep your fingers crossed for us!!! Oh, and we were able to plant our garden too- Hooray!