Project Patio: Today’s Mission

(Morning reflections.)

I thought you might want to see something pretty before I start showing off the masonry tools and bricks.  We had a lovely sunrise this morning.  I didn’t get around to taking pictures until the sun was up in the sky a bit as I was enjoying the beauty and the quiet.  It didn’t seem right to spoil it by running around with the camera, looking for the best spot to take photos.

Early today the boss of Project Patio — that would be M — assigned me the task of digging up the bricks from the old patio, scraping them, hauling them over to the brick pile, and stacking them.

Look at the ground in the above photo and you will see the old bricks.  (Feel free to admire the brick wall M built while you’re looking.)  You might also notice that there is some plant growth in between the bricks.  I point this out because another part of my assignment was to get the plants, roots, and dirt out of the area.  This involved the occasional trip to the compost pile out by the garden which seems miles and miles away when I’m hauling a heavy bucket filled with dirt, grass, moss, and an assortment of other weeds/plants.  (Ignore the garden tractor and wagon over to the right.  M was using those.  Any hauling I did was by hand/body.)

When I started, I was in the shade.  I thought the job would be a piece of cake.  The first few bricks came out with no problem and without the use of tools other than my hands.  This turned out to be trickery.  As I moved along, the bricks were more firmly entrenched.  The last five bricks (of course!) were the worst of all as they were buried under mats of grass.

It took about four hours, but I did it.  Sort of.  It turns out there were some bricks hiding under the stack shown in the first photo of the old patio.  I will finish it up tomorrow.  I’m exhausted now and ready for a long nap.

However, I’ll have to leave the napping to Bella up there as I have a few more things to accomplish this afternoon, including doing something about dinner.

Before I head off to do the things I need to do, a few more pics.  Just because.

(View of the timothy grass meadow from northern side of the pond.)

I took a little walk around the pond during one of my breaks this afternoon, just to stretch my legs and back.  I was tempted to give up on the bricks, jump in the rowboat, and spend the rest of the day floating on the pond.  We are having such beautiful weather that it’s hard to resist the urge to play or rest (or do a little of both!).

The deer like to bed down in the grass meadow.  We don’t often see them but we do see where they flatten down the grass to get a good night’s sleep.

I found this dragonfly in the grasses on our sledding hill.  I’m having trouble identifying it.  It might be the common sanddragon.  It might not.  If you have a guess (or you know what it is), please leave a comment or email me.  I’m trying to do a better job of identifying and learning about the local flora, fauna, and insect life.

(Don’t forget you can click on the photos for a larger view.)