Work Pants, Dirt, Shovel, and Biceps

In honor of getting our concrete curbing poured yesterday morning, I thought that I should do a quick post on some backyard updates.

That we did five weeks ago. Because that’s how fast I am sometimes.

It’s kind of fun to see these pictures, actually. I was outside all day yesterday, admiring our new concrete curbing around these two fences. And when I come in to edit these pictures…well, they just look terrible!

Hey, we knew that it would take a few years to get this yard the way that we wanted.

But now the fun part starts…picking out plants that will soon die that will thrive with our Hubby-installed drip system!

Speaking of Hubby…have I mentioned lately how lucky I am to have such a hard-working man? He is willing to do lots of labor, even if it takes a little longer.

And he’s buff.

We’ve learned from experience that these clumps of dirt need to be broken up as they come out and are still fresh.

If left to dry in the awful Arizona sun, these clumps will make life purely miserable later on.

Clumps don’t fill holes very well. Or break apart easily to fill holes.

This is where Hubby plans to dig for two sprinkler lines…one for the sprinkler heads for the (future) grass, and the other for the drip systems for these (future) planter boxes and garden boxes by the pool.

I think that our plants will have a fighting chance now that they will be watered regularly…and without our forgetfulness getting in the way!

This is our pure clump-removal process. It means chopping up the clumps as they first come out.

Chop chop chop chop.

He’s not even flexing here. He’s just that muscular.

Can you believe that he slaves away at a desk all day?

How do you know that he is truly working? Because of these pants, of course.

They are his official work pants. He does most of our house projects while wearing these plaid beauties.

The trench is dug. Soon, a sprinkler pipe will be in on this side as well. It will feed two sprinkler heads, while the other side of the yard has sprinkler lines and drip system lines.

Diggity dig, Hubby!

I feel so badly just taking pictures instead of helping.

But I remember that on this particular afternoon, I had a meeting later and had already showered.

Terrible timing on my part, I know!

And I promise that it was an accident!

You feel really guilty when the backyard starts to look like this…and you didn’t do anything to help getting it that way.

Wow, buff and patient with his wife?

Is this the World’s Best Husband or what?!

We have found so many “treasures” while working in this yard. Hubby now keeps a trash bucket nearby to throw in what he finds.

We’ve even stumbled upon drug paraphernalia. Weird!

But mostly just rusted nails, toy cars, and trash.

You know, stuff that we wouldn’t want in a brand-new, shiny backyard paradise!

These aren’t little sissy trenches, either.

Hubby does not mess around when it comes to digging properly for sprinkler systems.

Pipes go in here. And then we can fill it in, level the yard, and schedule some concrete!

(Apparently, pipes, filling things in, leveling, and concrete takes five weeks from start to finish).

We are making good progress. I’m learning patience every step of the way!

I can’t wait until we get this place finished! I know that it will be a space in which I will spend lots of time…when it looks nice and no longer like a gravel pit!

Do you remember what this all looked like when we first moved in?

I do. shudder

We’ve already made a teensy weensy bit of progress!

What have you been working on, now that Spring has arrived?