Libby gets a Face Lift

Weekend Farmer Husband's MO is quick start, fast work, and super sized objectives.  You can imagine we have several projects in process at one time.  And, you'd be right to harbor a slight suspicion that it's difficult for us to truly complete a number of these projects because - well, because.

One of the gaps in this method is I rarely get opportunity to take "before" photographs.  I'm inside.  He's outside.I walk outside to invite him in for supper and - wow! there's piles of dirt, tarps, tools, wires, whatever - and a happy guy staying busy.  So, I remember to offer a quick meal, fill up the water bottles, and try and grab a few photographs of our Work In Progress, whatever it may be this time.  (That's what WIP stands for mom- {{smile}} )

The WIP I'm sharing today started differently.  Our farm energies have been spent for the last two years on outbuildings, livestock, vegetable gardening, minor home renovations, home education, and Weekend Farmer Husband's profession.  We've done zero landscaping.  It hasn't impacted the quality of our life in any negative way.  But it is certainly one of those things that once you make a commitment to you wonder what took so long?

Given the "extra" time afforded by ongoing unemployment W.F.H., (You know who that is right?  That handy and handsome guy I call my husband - ) suggested that we could do the inexpensive but time consuming prep work and that he'd make limited funds available to get started with planting.  And, hadn't I talked to a friend about helping me with some of the design elements?

A few quick emails later, my friend reveals that she has just begun an epic landscape project of her own and would gladly bless our family by sharing a number of shade perennials with us.  We have a nice visit, she has me make a list of what I'd like, and less than 48 hours later I've received a surplus of mature plants that she releases to either flourish, or in her words, "die on my watch!"

It's been the better part of a week now and sometimes we're still outside at 10:30pm raking, planting, digging by the final streaks of light just to our west.  We sure do love living on the Western edge of the Eastern time zone.

And, finally, the beds are planted.  We have plenty of finish work to do including mulch,step and porch repair, and long over due new paint.  Our soil quality is unknown, but we have plenty of organic and nutrient rich matter mixed in.  Transplanting is stressful for the plants and you can see from the pics some of the plants are suffering.  We'll give them plenty of water and hope for the best.

A water feature is planned for this big patch of bare dirt - won't that be nice when we sit on the porch to enjoy our morning coffee and the sunrise?

Who's Libby anyway and how did she make it into the title of this post? W.F.H. gave me a short list of criteria for finding our new property when this adventure began.  I saw this place first and called him from under the shade of the amazingly large Catalpa Tree and suggested I'd found the one, would he like to come see, and if we buy it it will be called Liberty Farm.  We named the house Libby for short.

And, should you wonder what the little kids do while mom and dad labor, I've got great news.  Twice a week they're allowed to stay up late and enjoy summer bliss.  In recent weeks the heat has been oppressive and we've been blessed by a backyard swimming pool.  Can you think of anything more fun than swimming for hours after supper - even past sunset?  The pictures are fuzzy, grainy, and poor - but the joyful smiles are worth breaking "blog rules" for photos, don't ya think?