Get 'er done.
I wondered why my shoulders and elbow hurt so much this past week or so. Duh! Raking gravel out of the yard and putting it in piles to put it back on the driveway after the snowstorms are finished for the season might be a reason!
For understanding, I've had both shoulders and one elbow surgically 'worked' on years ago. So when I aggravate them they let me know. I tend to forget about those places until I do my spring clean up each year and they remind me.
I considered just not doing more, but common sense is never my best decisions in these circumstances.
Besides, I'd let the growth around the outhouse go wild last spring so it seemed to be a good idea to clean it up this spring.
The poor outhouse is beginning to list to the back where I think the concrete has started to sink into the ground. I suppose after being in this spot for over 40 years it has a right to begin to fail. It really isn't used as an outhouse any more. I clean it out each spring and usually put gardening tools inside it.
I think I'll give it one more year and then knock it down and clean it up next fall or spring. Once I fill the hole underneath it, I'll add flowers to the dirt.
In its glory days, the grandkids loved to use it. And it was rather pretty.
And it was handy as we had a hitching rail around it for saddling mules and heading out for rides. With poo on your boots, you could empty your bladder without running into the house and making a mess.
Now it is surrounded by Bee Balm, Peonies, Irises, and Hostas. It looks rather dull and awful right now, but everything looks listless and brownish in March.
The area pictured below will be crowded with perennials later this spring. In fact I need to clean some out. Once I had large rocks circling the outhouse garden as a border, but I moved the rocks away. It is easier to mow close to the flowers than to constantly try and keep the rocks tidy.
24 years ago, it was a nice place to sit and watch the world with a cup of coffee. In 2007, when we had no electricity for 7 days and no flushing toilet, this was our saving grace.
I wish I could save it. But I don't think it is worth it.
I spent some time reminiscing about the outhouse as I cleaned gravel out of the yard and deposited the old garden debris in the pasture. It has served its purpose and given us so much joy and laughter over the years. The walls inside the outhouse are filled with poems and sayings that kids wrote while visiting.
The walls inside are made out of melamine board. The cup of markers in the outhouse for writing on the wall are still there!
[Yes, it needs cleaning! Those Asian Beetles love to enter here in the fall!]
Poor thing. Wish I could save it. One more year...
The outhouse has years of story telling funnies. The year we had guests from Missouri and they shut a kitten inside the outhouse by accident. We had 14 people here and many used the outhouse.
The kitten fell into the hole and scrambled out again covered in you know what.
It absolutely made a nasty mess inside the outhouse. Use your imagination!
Grands playing hide n go seek would use it.
The time the Jehovah's witnesses pulled up in the yard with my husband contemplating life while sitting there with the door open....
I hope to surround it with magnificent flowers this year. The front of it will have a mass of bee balm and I am hoping to get sunflowers on its left [west side].
Poor thing. It looks neglected and
unloved.
After seeing the old photo of the Hollyhocks, I'm thinking of making a spot for them again. I did love the colors of the Hollyhocks.
Hollyhocks, Morning Glories, Zinnias, Sunflowers, Bachelor Buttons, Cosmos, ... hmmm, what else can I add? Maybe some Joe Pye Weed?
I quit after hours of also picking gravel up from the yard. I may take a rest from raking today and do some digging.
Got some favorite flowers you like to grow?