THOSE 2 FLYS!

I have often asked myself a simple question..."If Noah was really wise,why didn't he swat those 2 flys?"...I guess that's a question I will save for God but in the mean time we need to deal with them...as well as all the other flying,biting,annoying critters that abound this time of year. It especially bothers me when we are out enjoying the summer weather to see all those gnats around Stu's face! Well I did some homework and came up with a simple solution...even though it only lasts about 20 minutes, I just keep re-applying it.

If you are like me and have a coffer full of lavender,rosemary and mint you are set...if not a couple peppermint teabags work too....I use fresh but dried will work also. Simply make a "tea" in about 1 cup of hot water,add a half cup of white vinegar...mix and put in a spray bottle! It's really that simple. Make sure you cover your pets eyes when spraying this around their face. I even use it myself....as I mentioned it needs to be re-applied in about 20 mins but just keep in mind NO HARMFUL CHEMICALS! Plus they smell good!!

STU ENJOYING IT WITHOUT THE GNATS!

MONDAY MUSE

Yesterday as I was bringing in the patio furniture it hit me! It was on this day,2 years ago that made a move...into our new home that is. We moved here after almost 30 years in our "starter home" where we raised our 3 wonderful kids.
When we moved in we knew there were things we were going to change and the landscaping around the 90 ft ranch was priority.
BEFORE...

As you can see in the "before" picture we had quite a job...and oh my did we. Being do-it-yourselfers we decided to tackle it on our own. We had several landscapers come,but the price tag was a bit much due to the fact the 30 year old yews were HUGE! Keep in mind they went all the way around the house...a daunting task to say the least.
So we dig in and start our undertaking on Memorial day...and finished it finally on Labor day. We didn't know who was going to finish who first...there were a lot of hiccups along the way with our roller coaster summer but we finally did finish. But now it's 98% finished and we won't have to do it again! I should mention we actually saved thousands by doing it ourselves.
AFTER...

We replaced the ugly yews with dainty boxwoods,roses,hydranges,lavender,mosses and grasses.

HIDDEN WALL...
We think the results speak for themselves. People stop when we are out working in the yard and ask "When did you build that wall?" It has been hidden for 30 years and the neighbors had no idea it was there! Now it stands proudly for all to see :)

I hope you have a wonderful Monday!