March 7, 2009
It's a little early for Spring -- the average date for the latest freeze is near the end of March -- but the plants do not seem to know. The trees are blooming, the daffodils are coming up, and the irises are starting to look perky. So it seems like it would be a good time to do something about the lawn. The lawn, especially in the front is looking worn out. Linda thinks it gets too much shade. But I figure it can not hurt to make sure it has good dirt. So I got 8 cubic yards of Farmstyle compost from The Natural Gardener for $430.40.
They delivered about 9:00 AM on Saturday and I spent the rest of the day putting it in my wheelbarrow and spreading it around on the lawn. Did not have enough for the full yard -- just the front and one side. Probably needed another 4 cubic yards. And another day to spread it. We went back and got another 10 gallons to put in the herb and flower beds.
March 9, 2009
A plumber came to fix the sprinkler system. About two weeks ago, when I went out to get the newspaper, I notice that the driveway was wet -- water was seeping up from near the water meter and running down the driveway. I dug that area up and it was coming from the sprinkler system valve. All the water for the sprinkler system comes off the main line and goes thru this large valve that only allows water to go one way. It has two cut-off valves, one on each end. I turned the water off and then went looking for a plumber.
The plumber was Jonathon Griesheimer, doing business as Accent Sprinklers. He did a good job of taking out the old pieces and putting on new pieces. It took less than an hour, since I had already dug up the spot and identified the problem. He was easy to work with and did not seem to mind me watching everything he was doing.