progress report

I am breathing. That's all I'm prepared to be certain about. The yard is still there, although it's spinning right now. Or maybe that's just the way my vision is working at the moment.

You are not getting pictures today. I won't even promise them for tomorrow. They will show up when the yard is further denuded of unwanted vegetation, and when I have recovered from said activity.

But I did thrash the heck out of the devil grass AND I discovered some still-living raspberry plants when I thought they were all dead. Did I mention the blueberries? They're a saga unto themselves, although a familiar one around here. I bought two several months ago. They have yet to leave their containers. I left them in an area that was slated to get regular watering -- something that went the way of the dodo bird when the watering system went on the fritz and I didn't have money/time/attention span to take care of it. One blueberry had withered, dried up leaves and one had nice green leaves the last time I looked at them, so the easy conclusion was that blueberry A was dead and blueberry B was not. However, when I cut through the brush in that area I found blueberry B dry, brittle, and obviously quite deceased. Heavy sigh and resolve to reuse its container with hopefully better results. Blueberry A...now wait a minute, those stems are awfully green for something that's been dead for at least two months now. Are those really leaves? Green leaves? Partially missing but clearly perky green leaves? This is one for the record books. I have to get this blueberry into a larger container tomorrow. I don't know if it will ever produce fruit but at this point it has more than earned its place around here.

Will be planting more raspberries and blueberries in the coming season. I actually have a plan (HA!) and a place to put them, although the dearly beloved beleaguered mate is not thrilled about having a raspberry thicket on the property. I did have to ask when that rule went into effect, because the side yards has been an effective -- if fruitless -- raspberry thicket for years. Whereupon he growled and went back into his den, leaving me to pour over yet more nursery websites. This one has lots of blueberries adapted to southern climes. I'm going for the 4 breeds of southern highbush type blueberries. I have a spot in the yard all picked out for my little grove of berry bushes. They also sell raspberry canes wholesale, if you want to have that many canes on your property. Hmm.

I highly recommend Nourse Farms for raspberries. As much as I tried in true Brown Thumb fashion, I could not kill all of these raspberries off. Jewel black raspberry, Taylor red, and Kiwigold yellow raspberry are still extant despite long drought and complete neglect. Yes, I'm sending for more. Just as soon as I kill off as much of the devil grass as possible.