I Didn't Say Pickle Fork!!!

I finished painting the stone work all around the property this morning. When it was dry, I decided to go ahead and get started on a bit of landscaping.

I grabbed a bottle of good old Elmer's white glue and some landscaping materials.


As I started working, Tessie showed up lugging the glue syringe....She was in one of those moods...

"You know you're going to need this. You leave holes and don't get in the corners without it." she announced.

"I like a few holes here and there. Not all grass is perfect." I answered.

For those of you that have asked how I put on tiny trim and fill holes...This is it! It is called a "Monoject 412". If you put that in a search engine, you will find dozens of people selling them. The most inexpensive I have found are on "Pet supplies" websites. I guess that there are several different styles of Monojects. Some of them are as high as 12.00!

These are listed as disposable. I found them on one pet site this morning for 89 cents a piece....The shipping and handling was five dollars and change! I suggest that you look around to get the best deal. I got mine at a mini show for a dollar fifty a piece. I bought four, because I am messy and always have one or two that are clogged when I need them.

They can easily be taken apart and cleaned out. The syringe part comes out and then simply put them in hot water and poke inside with whatever implement of destruction you can find that isn't too sharp. I find a small crochet hook and a straight pin work wonders.

Anyway, back to gardening. I do about a 3" square at a time. That way the glue doesn't dry out before I spread the grass. I am using fine grass stuff from the model train store. I don't have the package any more. You will just have to go pick out a bag that you like. Sorry to not be of much help on that count. There are lots of different ones, from very fine powdery ones to some that they call underbrush. That's pretty large. I am using one somewhere in between.

Here you see the start of a flower bed. I have put the glue down and am about to add the dirt....Yes. I said dirt! I always have a bag of potting soil around and I just go out in the back yard and sift some through a fine, wire mesh strainer. I don't use tea or coffee or other spices....I am not crazy about bugs that like tea, coffee or other spices. Dirt is cheap and it is less bug prone....And it looks just like....Dirt!

After I spread the glue, I looked up and there was Tessie, waiting to do the raking.

"Tessie, that is an antique silver pickle fork! Stop. I said rake!".....

She looked at me with a frown and said, "You did not! You said pitch fork! And this was the closest thing that I could find. It looks like a pitch fork to me." Then she proceeded to make nice long grooves in the dirt with it.

Well....I did find it at a garage sale for a quarter and I did buy two at that price, just alike. I guess it won't hurt to share. After all, she is doing a good job. What more could I ask?

Then she shouted, "Hey! Where are the petunias? I need petunias!"

I answered with, "Tessie, I do believe that it would only be polite to ask Zar what he wants planted there, don't you?"

"I like petunias! I want petunias! You never plant anything for me....I don't have any petunias on the roof garden. Oh! Woe is me! Nobody loves me.....I am going out in the garden and eat worms...."she whimpered....

I let her whimper for a while and then said, "Leave a few. They are beneficial to the soil." and walked away.

She then proceeded to scrounge through last years seed packets that went un-planted...No petunias, but she found a packet of birdhouse gourds. I heard her start whispering to herself and as she got louder,she went back to digging, Then I heard,"I'll show her...I am going to plant these and grow a house of my own. Then I will plant all the petunias that I want around it. So there!!!"

I tip toed away at that point....Boy! Is Zar going to be surprised when gourd vines envelope his dwelling!

See you tomorrow.