Fire and police excitement around the garden

I suppose you need to expect things like this in the city. Sunday night there was a fire next door. Everyone responded quickly and it was put out right away but it's unsettling when I'm always writing about how peaceful it is here. A week ago the local band was marching down this street practicing for the parade.

I'm happy to report that it was only a dryer fire and remind us all to clean the lint traps on our own machines.

On Tuesday night just past the spirea bush were 4 police cars, men in the street and officers with their guns drawn. I have NO idea what that was all about but it went on for a long time and it was hard to relax and go to bed with all of those flashing lights going.

This morning things are quiet and it's a beautiful, sunny day so I'll be mowing that front section of the lawn so that things will be ready for the parade tomorrow. I guess painting those pink lilies will have to wait another day.

Lawn and garden photos

 You'll notice a line where the lawn was mowed and where it wasn't. The taller area is where the new rose border is going to be. Doing it this way saves measuring and marking but leaves a clear indication of where to start removing  the sod and preparing the soil for the new flower bed.

 I love the way the sunlight filters through the trees here. It limits the types of things that I can plant but it keeps things shaded and comfortable during the summer.

 yes, we are near the street and people do stare but you'd be surprised how often people walking by comment on how they wish they could do it too.

There's a lot more work to do here. I'd like to put in a gravel strip on each side of the sidewalk. It would look nice and help with drainage when it rains too much.

Making Mowing easy

If you're older or disabled basic yard work can be a challenge. The thing I find most useful is to have lots of seating areas so that you can rest whenever you need too.
My husband and I are on our second day of mowing the lawn. We each have a mower his is one we've had since the 1970's and you can read how he repaired it on his blog  http://canyoudougit.blogspot.com and mine is one we bought 10 years ago. I start mowing the front yard and he starts in the back. We start at the edges so that even if we don't finish it all at once the neighbors can tell that we're working on it and I've designed the landscaping so that areas between flower borders are like several small yards so that it's less noticeable whether it's all done or not.