A Morning Of Garden Fun!

Ed was out in the garden early this morning. He had to be. For several days he has been digging to remove the dirt over the septic tank so that it could be pumped. Leave it to Ed to turn something that "sucks" into garden fun for him. The man loves to dig and to sift dirt. Once the tank was pumped and the truck was gone, Ed's fun began. It was time to bury the tank. First the stones are being sifted out of the dirt before it is returned to the hole.



These stones are trundled down the driveway in the wheelbarrow and used to repair the latest storm damage to the driveway. Ed really has fun working on the driveway trying to get water to go his way!



While snapping pictures, I had some fun myself catching these two monarch butterflies on a wild cucumber vine. They were having their own kind of fun. I specialize in pictures of plants and stones because they don't usually move much. This was a lucky shot. It's interesting to see how this wild cucumber has killed the elderberry bush that supports it. Plants really do kill each other sometimes.

Farther up the hill a ruffled grouse ran across the driveway in front of me. It was too fast for a picture, but fun to see . Not bothering to fly he just ran into the tall grass and disappeared.




The septic tank hole is typical of holes dug here. The top layer is sod followed by a layer of stones with a little bit of fairly good soil. Digging here takes special talent and experience. Ed is a pro. Already he has replaced some of the dirt in the hole. It has been sifted to make digging easier next time, but what do we always do with an area of sifted dirt? We add it to the garden of course. While Ed finishes this project we will have time to ponder. What exactly should be planted over the septic tank? Most people plant grass. We never plant grass. I think some kind of annual would be best. If a great idea fails to come, a cover crop of buckwheat will hold the spot until inspiration strikes. Hmmm... What about petunias? No that's too obvious!