The Best Pair Of Gardening Gloves

This spring while starting work on our landscaping project I picked up a pair of gardening gloves at Target.  They are a funny turquoise with little rubber dots on the palms and fingers to help with grip and even though they are cloth they protect well from prickly plants, mud, and water.  Last weekend I worked at my mom's on the east and west sides of the house pulling weeds and removing volunteer trees.  After we got all the old stuff out we planted a slew of day lilies on the east side and spread cedar mulch.  This weekend I worked clearing out the flower bed under her deck where all the bird seed drops during the winter, mowing the yard and ripping vines out of the fence line.  With any luck the landscaping in the back can be finished before we leave for Ely and we can stay on top of the weeds and volunteer trees back there. 

We used to approach the projects at my mom's on the large scale and try to win the battle against the yard.  Our new approach is an effort to spend a little more money and regular time to make the yard lower maintenance over time.  It is very surprising to me that our yard is lower maintenance and significantly bigger.  I wish there was an easy solution but nothing that we have tried in the last ten years has been very effective. 

Running in the Heat!

This afternoon it will be 90 degrees - and I am planning to go on a five mile run with my friend Susan.  Yes that is a long run, especially when the farthest I have run in the last 18 years is 1 mile.... yes it's going to be SUPER hot.... yes I do feel a little silly.  But she is a good friend, and if I have to walk for most of it I will be OK.  I'll run as much as I can and drink lots of water afterwards and it will all work out!