Working in the Yard at the Hardy Smith House

Spring has sprung, the sun is shining, the air is warm and the yard work has begun at the Hardy Smith House.  The high reached the mid 70s and low humidity. Perfect weather for working in the yard. New pink and white azaleas were planted last friday in our newly created flower beds in front of the house.  I planted some beautiful wildflower seeds also. They are beginning to poke through the ground. By summer, we will have a beautiful wildflower garden. The area in between the front and back of the house where the bird baths and bird feeders are located will have pebbles instead of grass.


John cut down the dead water oak tree and another small tree in the back yard yesterday afternoon. I videotaped him using a chainsaw and with the final cut the tree came crashing down into the parking lot instead of onto the house.  The wood is chopped up and ready to sell or for future burning in the fireplaces at the house.  We will have to get a chimney sweep to come out to inspect the fireplaces and to do the necessary upgrades so that we can safely  burn wood in them.   

John began to til the yard as the sun was going down last night. He resumed in earnest around 11am today. He finished at 9:45pm. We had a couple of visitors to check on our progress today. My arms are sore, actually my entire body is sore.  I got a little sunburn from playing tennis yesterday in Macon. I have never seen an instructor effectively feed balls continuously from one basket in the center of two courts at the same time for nearly two straight hours. I was impressed. He commented to those hitting as he was feeding balls. He was like a human ball machine.  Today, I used the blower and rake to get rid of leaves and sawdust. I did laundry as well. So our day was very full.

The removal of all dirt, with the exception of a few river rocks in the basement, in the back part of the house, was completed a couple of days ago. That was a three month long project. The river rocks that remain will have to be pulled out with a chain attached to the truck. 

The next stage of the yard project will be separating all the dead weeds from the sandy soil, then applying the soil from the basement on top, BY HAND, by using a rake. That will take about a day or two to do.  After that, the bat dung fertilizer will be applied, then the grass seed. I suggested using a grass seed spreader to insure even distribution but John prefers doing it the old fashioned way. I have no idea what type of grass will be planted in the yard. 
We are working feverishly to get the grass planted before the summer sets in. 

I cannot believe I have the energy to type in my blog today. I am so wiped out. Enjoy the pictures of the work done on the yard so far. Keep visiting my blog for updates.