Back Yard: Phase 2

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We're making good progress on the back yard. Last week we finally decided what material we would use for the garden planter and the play area retaining walls. We would have loved to use real stacked stone, but that turned out to be way out of our budget. We considered the modern equivalent of railroad ties, but for about the same cost we decided to go with concrete blocks made to look sort of like stone. I ordered the stone Tuesday and the four pallets were delivered on schedule on Friday. The delivery guy was kind enough to place them right where we wanted them, even though it meant four trips around the block on his forklift.

I started to feel like I was getting a cold Thursday night and had a cough starting on Friday. But I ignored it and got to work Saturday morning. My dad was kind enough to come over and lend me his wall-building experience. I had dug trenches and filled them with crushed rock as a footing, but I wasn't sure how to do the final prep to make sure the wall came out level and straight. Dad was a big help. He and I got the first couple of course of the garden wall laid and Dad was able to take off. I finished that wall about 3:00.

That was just about the time Carol was able to come and help, since Charlotte was down for a nap. I was starting to feel lousy, but she was excited to continue, so we kept working and finished the second wall about 7:00.

It was great to have the walls complete, but a full day of manual labor was apparently not the ideal treatment for my oncoming virus. I showered and collapsed on the sofa.

I didn't get off the sofa, essentially, until Tuesday. I had some kind of flu or very bad cold. The worst chest congestion I can ever remember having with labored breathing and a serious rattle and wheeze. Plus a crushing headache for most of Sunday. It sucked.

But we're getting closer. The next task is to distribute as much of the new dirt pile back into the planter and play area as we can. Then figure out how to get rid of the rest of it. After that we can rototill the area that will be grass and start raking and leveling it. Then we can install sod and the major work will be done. Still hoping to get there in the next few weeks.