We have lived in this house for almost 6 years, and we haven't planted one thing in the garden boxes that the Pinders left here. We have been weeding that area, getting disgusted by all the cat poop, and dumping things there that we don't know what to do with the whole time we've lived here. We finally decided to get rid of them and make that space more usable.
I've always been overwhelmed at the thought of removing these since they are made out of railroad ties, which are very heavy, and held together by enormous nails. They are three ties deep, with the bottom tie mostly-buried beneath the ground. I never knew what to do with the dirt they're filled with, or how to get them out of the ground and our backyard. I decided this year, I was going to figure it out!
Rockwell would come out and help me for a bit some days.
It was a really good year to do it, since I could move all the dirt to the front yard since Paul is wanting to add dirt to help level that lawn out there. I shoveled the dirt completely out of two of the boxes into the wheelbarrow that was just on the other side of the gate, since it doesn't fit through the small gate right there. The third box was halfway filled with small rocks that Paul had sifted out of the dirt he bought for leveling. I shoveled all that into the bottom of the two boxes I had already emptied, and then took the good dirt beneath that into the front yard.
Once I had cleared the boxes out and tried to remove the nails, or break the sides apart, we accepted that we were not going to be able to get these out in any way that they would be able to still be used. I would have loved to have given them to somebody, or sell them. But they were just too massive for that to happen.
I asked the guy who was cutting down our tree if he could use his chainsaw to take these apart too. I told him I just wanted the top two ties removed, thinking the last tie would be low enough that we could leave them in the ground. He did that for us, which was great. But the bottom tie was sticking up further than we wanted, so Paul used an axe and a mallet to get the bottom layer of the boxes out of the ground. I moved those to the front yard dirt patch for now and will have to figure out where to dispose of them.
Next, I leveled out the ground and laid down the weed tarp.
Then I found rocks that I thought would be a good match with what we already have in the yard, and ordered those. The nursery said they would be delivered Thursday afternoon, but they called bright and early Wednesday morning asking if they could bring the rocks that morning instead. I was so glad, because I was at the point where I really wanted this project to be finished!
The rocks were delivered, and they are a great match!! I got right to work shoveling them into buckets and carrying them into the back yard. I worked until the heat got the better of me that afternoon. There was a tiny area left undone, but the thought of loading and carrying six more buckets of rocks in 95 degree heat was just too much for me. It drove me crazy all night. :)
It was so much easier to do those six buckets the next morning, when it was 30 degrees cooler though!! I used the rest of the rock to cover the area around the shed, and to fill in sparse areas around the whole yard. It took most of the day, but it sure looked great when I was finished! Paul helped me set up the hammock that night, and then I arranged that, the umbrellas, and our fire pit the next morning. I painted the stars that had been on the garden boxes, and Paul hung those on the fence. I love love love this area now!!!
The hammock is a little bit of heaven! We bought that on our first cruise to Mexico and have been storing it for about 12 years. I'm so glad we have a place to use it now, because it really is so comfortable and peaceful. There is a nest of hummingbirds in our tree in the front yard, and they love to come eat the flowers that grow around our gate.
It's so relaxing to lay out there and watch them. Apparently I'm obsessed with hummingbirds now. :) Tessa and I went and bought some decorative hummingbird stakes and we hung our feeder in the corner.
I love to lay out there and read, watch the birds, and just enjoy the new area that I worked so hard on. It's a great feeling!
Rockwell would come out and help me for a bit some days.
It was a really good year to do it, since I could move all the dirt to the front yard since Paul is wanting to add dirt to help level that lawn out there. I shoveled the dirt completely out of two of the boxes into the wheelbarrow that was just on the other side of the gate, since it doesn't fit through the small gate right there. The third box was halfway filled with small rocks that Paul had sifted out of the dirt he bought for leveling. I shoveled all that into the bottom of the two boxes I had already emptied, and then took the good dirt beneath that into the front yard.
Once I had cleared the boxes out and tried to remove the nails, or break the sides apart, we accepted that we were not going to be able to get these out in any way that they would be able to still be used. I would have loved to have given them to somebody, or sell them. But they were just too massive for that to happen.
I asked the guy who was cutting down our tree if he could use his chainsaw to take these apart too. I told him I just wanted the top two ties removed, thinking the last tie would be low enough that we could leave them in the ground. He did that for us, which was great. But the bottom tie was sticking up further than we wanted, so Paul used an axe and a mallet to get the bottom layer of the boxes out of the ground. I moved those to the front yard dirt patch for now and will have to figure out where to dispose of them.
Next, I leveled out the ground and laid down the weed tarp.
Then I found rocks that I thought would be a good match with what we already have in the yard, and ordered those. The nursery said they would be delivered Thursday afternoon, but they called bright and early Wednesday morning asking if they could bring the rocks that morning instead. I was so glad, because I was at the point where I really wanted this project to be finished!
The rocks were delivered, and they are a great match!! I got right to work shoveling them into buckets and carrying them into the back yard. I worked until the heat got the better of me that afternoon. There was a tiny area left undone, but the thought of loading and carrying six more buckets of rocks in 95 degree heat was just too much for me. It drove me crazy all night. :)
It was so much easier to do those six buckets the next morning, when it was 30 degrees cooler though!! I used the rest of the rock to cover the area around the shed, and to fill in sparse areas around the whole yard. It took most of the day, but it sure looked great when I was finished! Paul helped me set up the hammock that night, and then I arranged that, the umbrellas, and our fire pit the next morning. I painted the stars that had been on the garden boxes, and Paul hung those on the fence. I love love love this area now!!!
The hammock is a little bit of heaven! We bought that on our first cruise to Mexico and have been storing it for about 12 years. I'm so glad we have a place to use it now, because it really is so comfortable and peaceful. There is a nest of hummingbirds in our tree in the front yard, and they love to come eat the flowers that grow around our gate.
It's so relaxing to lay out there and watch them. Apparently I'm obsessed with hummingbirds now. :) Tessa and I went and bought some decorative hummingbird stakes and we hung our feeder in the corner.
I love to lay out there and read, watch the birds, and just enjoy the new area that I worked so hard on. It's a great feeling!
Boy you did work hard! Good job Tiff! It is beautiful and what a nice place to go when you can relax. The stars look great. That was so nice of Rockwell to help you out. He's a good boy! I love hummingbirds also and you got some good pictures of them. I saw one in our front tree this morning and sure enjoyed watching it.
ReplyDeleteNice work Tiff. You have always been a great example of determination, perseverance and hard work. It looks fantastic.
ReplyDelete