Now for some ‘humor’. I miss my dear husband’s wonderful and quirky sense of humor. He made me laugh from the beginning of our life together.
As a boy he would do the Tarzan yell, even as a young man in the Navy he and another young man did the Tarzan yell while working in the scullery to relieve some of the monotony.
I’ve been reading his ‘Sugar Creek Gang’ books from when he was a boy and things in there I can see influenced him and they crack me up to realize this now. It’s like gifts from God, to see some of what went into the making of my husband’s personality. (I also read his Tarzan books as a newlywed and loved them.)
A favorite movie of ours from way, way back is ‘The Good, The Bad & The Ugly’. The music was great! We loved Clint Eastwood, ever since we saw him as kids watching Rawhide.
Since I’ve been talking about the ‘back 40’, I thought I would title the post ‘The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, and post the music so that you can, if you wish, listen to the music as you view pictures. I’m a tad embarrassed to share the bad and the ugly, but ‘it is what it is’. A work in progress. One day I will look back on these and laugh because it will look so much better, well, I ‘hope’ it will. All in time. At least the property is surrounded by privacy fencing. I know DH is cheering me on, and know he felt bad before the left this planet that we didn’t clear the junk completely before he became ill. We did make a start and did take some out to the scrap yard. We did use a lot of ‘curb-side’ shopped materials through the years, saving us a lot of $$ on projects, or giving us neat items to use inside and out.
So, for better or worse, here goes.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
******
Looking into the ‘back 40’. Shovel bird is our guard bird.
Some beauty from the vines.
Some iron, etc. on the ground that we had stacked up to take out to the scrap yard for $$. We’ve been having LOTS of rain so that I’ve not been able to weed wack in a couple of weeks and the weeds and vines are really taking over wherever they feel like.
I moved these plants here last Sunday but I don’t like them there. 
Overgrown back garden. My potting area is back there, the path to it is between the pine trees at the back of the photo, near the fish.
Path is here somewhere. The big bad pitbull used to live back behind us, on the backside of the ixora hedge on the right of photo below. He and his owner have not been there for months, but my heart just hasn’t been into tackling this area again. I did it once, but with all of the rain I haven’t kept up with it.
Now we have my own overgrown gardens. I need to buy more rolls of roofing when I can to cover the paths again. The path material now is about 6 years old, brittle and cracking up so that stuff grows up and I have to use the weed wacker again.
My dear husband suggested I not plant any more gardens in the last couple of years. At first I was disappointed, but now I see the wisdom. He could see that I already had plenty to handle before he became ill, and now that he’s gone, it is all definitely ‘enough’. Our property is 1/4 of an acre.
You can see a dying palm frond hanging in picture below, it’s brown.
Here it is yesterday evening after it crashed onto the porch roof, making me jump inside the house from the noise. That’s one bad thing about this palm. It is self-pruning, but being close to the house, it lands occasionally on the porch roof freaking out the occupants.
One of our natives.
More beauty.
My sweet caravan. I keep thinking about this little space, approximately 6’x8’. It is unfinished, as this was the project we were working on when DH became ill. I really love how cute it is and that it was made using mostly recycled materials.
Lots to do here at Plum Cottage between creating for my little Etsy shop, working part-time, taking care of home and unfinished projects we started.
Thanks for visiting my weird little haven from the hectic world that we live in.
Thank you for being my friends and all of your cyber hugs.
(((((((Hugs to all of you)))))))
FlowerLady
18 comments:
Oh, I do see some treasures there in the "back 40" Some long weathered boards that I loved to paint on. I used to make signs for people and was always on the lookout for weathered shingles and boards.
Don't overdo with the cleanup.Take your time... It will still be there tomorrow :)
Have a nice weekend,
Balisha
Well I imagine everything grow very abundantly there, it's a lot to keep up with. Hope you are doing well. Hugs.
Hi Lorraine, I can understand your feelings about the Back40... It's just too much for one person to keep up (almost too much for two). I do know that there are churches that have mission teams who go to homes and help those in need. Does your church have a group like that---or can you find a church that offers projects like that. IF someone could come in and just clean it from top to bottom --and get rid of some of the junk around--then maybe you can keep it in good shape... BUT-you can't possible do it all yourself. Wish I knew other ways for you to get help... Do you have money to hire a gardener???? Bless your heart. I'm so sorry....
Have a nice weekend and just remember that you can only do what you can do.
Hugs,
Betsy
Like Balisha, I see some treasures in there, too (but I also see the work). With this much space, you just get one part cleaned up and another part needs trimmed up and attended to. Believe me, we know how it is!
I was happy to see the caravan again, of course. Keep your goals and plans balanced between realistic and challenging :) You are doing GREAT, Lorraine. You really are getting a lot done.
Be very careful walking back there. Take care.
I do like Betsy's idea, a church working bee. Was that a little copper pipe man I saw hidden in the tall grass? loved it. Little by little it will get done, 1/4 acre is a lot of land for one girl, slowly, slowly, and not in the heat of the day. But in all your photos, there is beauty, greenery, flowers with super colour, palm fronds dying, as nature intended. DH would so love your post today, and I always like hearing him mentioned. Fond greetings from Jean.
This post is what I needed. I am at times overwhelmed by the work on the yard,but you have encouraged me to keep on moving forward.I know I need to make some changes,but that too shall happen.Thanks for sharing your world.
Plants get out of control quickly after a few days of rain. Looks like you have trumpet vine and a few others that tend to take over too. I see a lot of treasures in your back 40. Do you have a dormant time in the winter or do you have a 12 month growing period? I'd tackle that in the winter or get some help if you can.
Hi Lorraine- my you do have a lot of yard to care for- I do love your whimsical things throughout the yard.
You might try calling 211, which is a senior help line- to see if there are volunteers that would help clean your yard.
Dear Betsy penned some of my own thoughts Lorraine. It seems such a huge task to tackle alone. The beauty amid it all took my breath away.
I adore your shovel guard!
xxx
I do think men tend to collect 'useful stuff' which sometimes takes root and becomes part of the landscape! Knowing how vigilant we need to be in KY to keep vines, grass and even desirable plants in check, I can see you've got a good deal to whack at.
Can you tell me, please, what is the vine with the heart-shaped leaves? There is some of it here, but it doesn't blossom and I haven't learned the name.
How I wish I could come and help out. I like Betsy's suggestion too. You need a couple of helpers just to make a start.
Your back 40 looks so much like our chook pen at the moment. We have an enormous chook pen that's been empty for a couple of years now, and with every wet season the weeds just seem to multiply and multiply. With all the other things that need doing around here, it's one spot that just never seems to get any attention.
I think with areas such as these, it just gets to a stage where it all seems rather daunting. A working bee with a couple of helpers would be a fabulous solution ... for your back 40 and for our chook pen, lol!
Anyway, I think it will more likely be ourselves doing the hard work a little bit at a time.
My goodness you do have a jungle there in places. All that rain!
Beauty there too. Enjoy the process.
The back 40 reminds me of that show "Life after people" where nature takes back the world. It's very beautiful but a real pain if you ever want to take back anything from the ivy.
Ok, shovel bird is ADORABLE lol Love it :)
Oh I so wish I lived closer to you, my husband and I would be there in a heart beat to help you. It's too much for one person alone, so I hope you find someone that can give you a hand :)
Love,
Sandra
Your yard and gardens are HUGE, that is a big task. Can you hire some teenagers to do a couple hours of work? Sometimes one of our sons comes over and it is AMAZING how much a young guy can do in two hours.
Your flowers show you live in a tropical paradise, it is so lush.
Be gentle with yourself and give yourself the ok to have lazy moments.
Wow, the heat sure is growing things there...one step at a time...love seeing your garden...
Rains and heat will take over a garden in no time at all. I do feel you should seek some help with your weed whacking. Too hot and steamy out there for you to try and handle it alone. I removed a Trumpet Vine a few weeks ago and have yet to go back to that part of the garden. I am sure with all the rain and heat, it needs more attention as I did not get the roots. Take it one vine at a time and you will see the light at the end of the tunnel...
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