1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

Recieved our workload for this weekend.

20 yds of fill and 15 yds of topsoil.

So glad the forecast includes crazy hotness.  OK, not really. 

#dirtdawg

A-Jay

 

 

You’re going to have to find a sauna to jump into to cool off its going to be so hot and muggy.

11 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

Oh man! Thats a lot of dirt. 

Yup

Took 3 of these ~

A-Jay

7 minutes ago, 12poundbass said:

You’re going to have to find a sauna to jump into to cool off its going to be so hot and muggy.

Or maybe take a trip to Lake MenderDunk!

Not sure if this counts as a landscaping project. Every other year I have to re-stain my deck. And this is that year. I need about 2-3 dry days to accomplish this and this might be the week. I need to power wash all the debris off it first, let it fully dry, and then apply a thick, new coat. I also have a rotten board that I am replacing. I prefer to not do it when it’s scalding hot out either.

 

Will post before and after photos.

@gimThis is the week we’re having our deck done too. Sanded, washed, and restained. We’re outsourcing the labor though.

Well, after I cleaned up a downed branch from a tulip poplar that was the size of a small tree, we had this happen.  No wind, no storm.  The tree looked fully healthy.  It fell on a sunny day and missed the house by about 20 feet.  Freaked my wife out.  You can see in the background a standing dead oak that is the same size as the one that fell and we have another in that line of trees the same size that is also standing dead.  It is time to call in the professionals.  The one that fell is across my septic drain field and the standing dead one can’t be dropped on it.  Likewise, they can’t get any big equipment back there because they would have to drive over my distribution box.  The other dead standing is close to the road and power lines so in addition to taking the downed tree out, the other 2 have to be rope lowered in sections.  I’m also having them limb up every tree around the house because there are some with the ends of branches touching the roof.  First bid $10,000. 😱

12 hours ago, Jar11591 said:

@gimThis is the week we’re having our deck done too. Sanded, washed, and restained. We’re outsourcing the labor though.

 

The long term solution is composite maintenance free boards.

Kind of…… seen plenty of composite decks in a state of warped disarray. And some moldy goo growing underneath the boards. My mom has one and can’t keep the yellow pollen off it . And she’s a pressure washing fanatic 

On 7/1/2025 at 10:33 AM, TOXIC said:

Well, after I cleaned up a downed branch from a tulip poplar that was the size of a small tree, we had this happen.  No wind, no storm.  The tree looked fully healthy.  It fell on a sunny day and missed the house by about 20 feet.  Freaked my wife out.  You can see in the background a standing dead oak that is the same size as the one that fell and we have another in that line of trees the same size that is also standing dead.  It is time to call in the professionals.  The one that fell is across my septic drain field and the standing dead one can’t be dropped on it.  Likewise, they can’t get any big equipment back there because they would have to drive over my distribution box.  The other dead standing is close to the road and power lines so in addition to taking the downed tree out, the other 2 have to be rope lowered in sections.  I’m also having them limb up every tree around the house because there are some with the ends of branches touching the roof.  First bid $10,000. 😱

Glad everyone and most everything is OK.

A-Jay

 

16 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Kind of…… seen plenty of composite decks in a state of warped disarray. And some moldy goo growing underneath the boards. My mom has one and can’t keep the yellow pollen off it . And she’s a pressure washing fanatic 

 

I'm sure it has its downsides too.

 

Wood will eventually rot and needs a lot more routine maintenance though.  No material is without its weakness.

I got up at 5:30am and stained my deck because it's so freaking humid today.  I finished by 9:30am.

 

Yesterday I prepped it by power washing it.

 

Glad this job is done for a couple years now.  With prep, board replacement, and stain, it took me about 6 hours.  Not very desirable work but the finished product is something I am proud of.

 

 

and I got some green beans and okra growing on the wasteland outside my fence on the top of a vertical bank 

And of course , incorporating fishing into the equation. “(Fishing) pole beans”

We're half a season into what will most likely be a 3 season make over of the dog yard.

This is the third, and I'm pretty sure The Last One.

One before and two progress-so-far pics are below.

Still plenty left to do.

🥴

A-Jay

My wife and I started off with a 12’x12’ patio that lasted about 15-16 years and was still holding strong to replace it with this.

@Eric 26 looks cookout ready! 

On 8/24/2025 at 3:59 PM, A-Jay said:

We're half a season into what will most likely be a 3 season make over of the dog yard.

This is the third, and I'm pretty sure The Last One.

One before and two progress-so-far pics are below.

Still plenty left to do.

🥴

A-Jay

 

Looks pretty great to me.  Did you put down grass seed or is that the natural grasses and plants?

45 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

Looks pretty great to me.  Did you put down grass seed or is that the natural grasses and plants?

There's some natural growth mixed in.

We seeded the majority of the 'Play area'.

A-Jay

So perhaps not exactly a landscape project per se.

Maybe more like an accessory to the landscape.

Either way, we took advantage of the favorable holiday weekend weather to reseal the drive.

It was time and it needed it. 

We set aside one day for surface & edge preparation and the following day for the actual application of the product.

Came out OK and certainly looks a whole lot better than it did.

Just wish it lasted a little longer.

The Before

 

The After

 

A-Jay

53 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

So perhaps not exactly a landscape project per se.

Maybe more like an accessory to the landscape.

Either way, we took advantage of the favorable holiday weekend weather to reseal the drive.

It was time and it needed it. 

We set aside one day for surface & edge preparation and the following day for the actual application of the product.

Came out OK and certainly looks a whole lot better than it did.

Just wish it lasted a little longer.

The Before

 

The After

 

A-Jay

 

Very nice.  That will help when the snow comes rolling in too.  The extra color darkness will absorb just a bit more heat to help melt on that shoulder days.  And the blower should slide across that easier on that 'ugh' kinda of snow days.  

23 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

Very nice.  That will help when the snow comes rolling in too.  The extra color darkness will absorb just a bit more heat to help melt on that shoulder days.  And the blower should slide across that easier on that 'ugh' kinda of snow days.  

Thanks.

Once the first snow flies, I rarely take the blower blade right to ground zero.  Instead, I allow a 1-2 inch base of packed snow to build up.  Helps with the truck tire rucks that would inevitably develop.  Which makes it feel like I'm snowblowing the moon.

No fun.

A-Jay

I created a fire pit this summer. That's a ginkgo in the foreground with two American chestnuts behind it:

 

I'm making steady progress on my Japanese garden. I'll buy the final plants to finish it this fall.

 

 

I built a raised bed for asparagus and I'll cut my first spears next spring. I remulched my three raised beds and the three beds abutting the house. 

Things are progressing gradually but steadily.

April & October

We kept the dogs off it all summer so it could establish.

They'll be back on it once there's some snow on the ground.

They will like that.

A-Jay

 

Finally got the driveway done

I just got off my roof, I’ve been trying to let all the nuts fall before risking life and limb.  I blew 100lbs of beech nuts, Hickory nuts and acorns out of my gutters.  The rear part of my roof is 78 feet off the ground.  That’s all the yard work I wanna do. 😝

On 8/24/2025 at 7:59 PM, Eric 26 said:

My wife and I started off with a 12’x12’ patio that lasted about 15-16 years and was still holding strong to replace it with this.

Totally love this!