Sunday, April 8, 2012

So THAT'S what a non-race weekend is like.

After last weekend's Goonie Mud Run, I decided I had to take it easy this weekend. Mrs Notthat and I were going to head down to Santa Teresa Park and do the Troy's race there - I would do the 5K and she would do the 10K (she hasn't exactly been the picture of health either).

But then Saturday morning came around and neither of us felt like the drive or the $100 or so entry fees, plus the dogs were making big sad puppy eyes at us. So we opted to take them for a walk over at Bayfront Park.


I walked while Diane ran most of the uphills and all of the downhills. I love how nicely this park has greened up after all the recent rain.


Kaya was happy. Dove, the dog who got stuck with me, was a bit bummed. But I let her sniff a lot more things than normal.


After the walk, the Big Deal was to work in the garden. And as you can see, it needed a LOT of work.


But I managed to pull up all those weeds. (I know, it's only temporary and they'll be back, but it sure looks ready to go for now!)


Mrs Notthat was focussed on the mess that were our various planters. Kaya loves to dig, and she has discovered that digging in low planters is particularly rewarding. So we are hoping to thwart that. Or at least slow it down.


My haul after an hour at OSH. They didn't have all the vegis we wanted, but it's enough for a start.


I wanted some manure, and found these charming bags. (Weirdly, the contents didn't smell too bad. Does the crap from Point Reyes not stink?)


Mrs Notthat read this and tried to work out how to make me a shirt out of the bag.


I've never been so entertained by a bag of crap.


Kaya making sure Mrs Notthat gets the dirt mixture just right.


The grandkids showed up to help. Sort of.


Grandkid First Born sweeping out her treehouse.


Then hanging out on the ladder I set up to take the garden pictures.


Grandkid Second Born offering Mrs Notthat advice. Everyone had advice for her.


The grandkids working out their favorite plants. (Corn, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and lemon cucumbers so far.)


Then it was time for the front yard. The cherry tree is blooming like a maniac!


And so are the weeds along the fence. Most of the time was spent pulling out these weeds.


Kaya REALLY wanted to help. Well, not help so much as get us to play with her.


Kaya really looks guilty in this picture.


A daisy that is blooming nicely.


The daisy-infested planter area is now all pretty and tidy and hopefully not attractive to Kaya. HA!

And that's about it. My hands and back are sore from pulling several bushels of weeds, but my knee is no worse, so that's a win. I'm going to take it easy again this week and then decide whether next weekend will also be race-free. The weekend after that was to be my rematch with the Brazen Diablo Trails Challenge 50K, but I had to bail on that idea - I'm now signed up for the 5K there (my first Brazen 5K!).

It felt great to finally get to attack the yard and garden, but there is still a lot left to do.

I just hope Kaya doesn't manage to undo much of this.

That's it - move along...

3 comments:

DAK said...

So you take the dogs for a walk in the park and Mrs. That has to keep running anyway? At least you have a garden with walls to hold you in.

mary ann said...

It's a nice change to be back in your beautiful garden again. Love the bags of manure and wow, those grandkids
and dogs are all great looking.

Beth said...

Love the before and after of the garden! It always feels so good to see what all that work accomplished.
The hanging baskets look wonderful!