Sunday, June 14, 2009

Dragging my Behind!! BARELY...

WHEW!! The last few days have been EXHAUSTING ...and that is putting it mildly!

Right smack dab in the middle of our next doll Richard and I both got the hair brained idea to start a project we have been thinking about for the last 7 years with our house... it was literally like the Big Light Bulb appeared above both of our heads at the exact same time... so we 'temporarily' set aside our project and ran out to the front yard to start our 'project'...of course thinking it would only take us a few short hours as it really was not a Big Project...more like one of those small silly tasks that bother you until done... LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL... boy were we wrong!!!!!!
What started out as a 'small, silly few hours project' ...ended as the Project from HELL!!!!! You know the kind I am talking about...the ones that appear easy on the surface and as soon as you started digging into it 'Literally' you find all kinds of surprises waiting for you just under the surface. Project was...to remove a flower bed (sans flowers) from beside the front door...and replace with something more tidy and organized. I think this was actually the Devils Flower bed at one time cause it gave us such grief at each turn of the shovel!!! We first needed to remove at least 8 inches of hardened top soil...corralled by 20 extremely ugly brick like pavers that were apparently 'glued' by time to the soil itself... then remove 2 struggling bushes that between them had 8 1/2 leaves...but roots that headed for middle earth...and attached!! In removing all of this we discover half of our water system pipes have been pushed upward close to the surface by a root system that closely resembles the L.A. Freeway system from our nearby Oleanders. As a matter of fact we believe the root system from our entire neighborhood seemed to converge on our little 10 ft x 4 ft innocent looking flowerbed. So brandishing every kind of cutting device this side of a machete we hacked and whacked till mid afternoon (oh did I mention we started this at around 5:30 am)... it actually became a process of dig a little find a new Root source...hack hack hack...then dig some more....WHERE WERE THEY COMING FROM!! We called it quits for the day and passed out somewhere in the hallway...they were truly the 'roots of all evil'..

New Day....new outlook... and sore and bent over to the point of resembling 2 giant pretzels...Richard and I set to task of finishing our little garden plot from hell!! We dug dirt , wheelbarrowed it to other parts of the yard...moved gravel (from parts of the yard) ...replaced water piping and painted the whole outer wall...then filled it all in nicely with gravel and flagstone , potted a couple of palms ...OooOoO it all looked so nice...from our bent over view! And there it was sticking out of the ground of our finished area...one nasty little 'root' ...almost as if it were waving at us...and yelling "YA MISSED ME" hee hee hee..... then Richard ...with a look I have never seen on his face in all our 34 years together walked slowly up to that root, stood over it gritting his teeth and said "Ya Feeling Lucky...punk"...and gave it a sharp tug that is still being felt in ripples throughout the neighborhood. But it got done...2 very hard days of work in not very cool weather... and as the crowing glory to back breaking work and 'root madness' ...I broke a crown in my mouth....

I swear...this has been a most interesting weekend ... but I now look forward to some normalcy and working on our doll...

Did anyone see the movie Carrie? I am not quite ready to stand over our new front area...for fear a root will reach out and grab my ankle and pull me under... until then...I will enjoy from afar...

Have a Great Week Everyone...

Jodi
P.S. A few wanted to see the finished shots of the cleaned up area out front... the scene of the crime as it were.... so I popped a couple of shots this morning to give you an idea.... looks like a simple task...don't let the 'hidden roots fool you....they are there, lurking in the dark....WAITING....WAITING....



23 comments:

julie campbell said...

LOL Jodi, why is it these urges come smack in the middle of a doll !! Reminds me of the time I decided to remove the straggly old rose bushes that grew in front of our window...........6 hours later I had practically dug to Australia and still those roots were there !!
Heres hoping you dont have a demon root Carrie experience ........;0)
julie xx

rosanna said...

A true nightmare!!! something like that happened to my arents, an appereantly innocent vine and it devilish roots upliftin the base of our country house. It took quite a lot to overcome them. Anyway I could not avoid a good chuckle reading your post, it is so much like an old Laurel and Hardy movie...Relax nw

LDWatkins said...

But don't ya just luv it now?? Show us a picture, sounds lovely. I decided to dig a french drain at a place we lived in Oklahoma City one time..red clay. Oh my goodness.....still think the back surgery I had several years ago was a direct result of such! LOL Rest!!

GingerR11 said...

Boy, can I relate. My husband and I did that very thing a year or so back. It didn't take two days, though. More like a month. The root system even went through the post for the mailbox. I had no idea it would take the truck to pull up some of those roots.
Take an aspirin, and go lay on the couch -- for me too.

Judy C said...

That'll teach you. A message you didn't get. Put off landscaping and it'll come back and bite you in the ---. We have some bushes that seem determined to come inside the house. Going to wait till Spring. Then out comes the chainsaw.

Judy C said...

Jodi, I need to know about what glue to use to apply hair. Tacky Glue is too runny. Please.

Creager Studios said...

Hi Julie...
I have no clue as to why that always happens in the middle of doll making...but it always seems to doesn't it? Sounds like you had same kind of dealings with some Roses....
No Carrie sightings so far...knock wood!

Hugs,
Jodi

Creager Studios said...

Hi Rosanna..

Develish Roots says it all...and yes...at times we felt very much like Laurel and Hardy with a smattering of the Three Stooges!

Hugs,
Jodi

Creager Studios said...

OMG LD...

Richard mentioned French Draining our walkway... the man had to Run for his Life.....still hiding!!!
Hard job...you are a brave woman.

I will pop a picture....

Hugs,
Jodi

Creager Studios said...

Hi Ginger.....

WOW...a month.... you know me, after 3 days I would have been a candidate for the Funny Farm!! Probably if we would have kept digging...we could have streched the two days into 2 weeks...but I feared what I might find...GULP!!

Aspirin earlier..I had a glass of wine instead!

Hugs,
Jodi

Creager Studios said...

Hi Judy...

I know...we should have seen this coming and attacked sooner.... chainsaw...hmmmmm why didn't I think of that!!!

Hugs,
Jodi

Creager Studios said...

Hi Judy...

As for glue... I really use two types... for different hair. For basic hair application I like Fabri-Tac...applied thin and in small sections...grips fast and strong...but this is only when i apply a large amount of hair and no scalp shows. When I want to apply hair thin and and or scalp might show through...I use a glue called 'Mend All' It is a white Resin based Glue. What I like about this glue is it is very strong...AND...more important...it dries 'very matte' other white glues can leave a slight sheen when dry or yellow with time and light exposure...Mend All does not. I believe it is mainly a back east glue as I have never found on shelves out here...but I have friends who live in the east and keep me supplied. Also I believe you can find easily on line..

Hope this helps,
Jodi

Judy C said...

Jodi, you are wonderful.

Lille Diane said...

I so needed a visit with you, Jodi. I've been chasing my tail, too. I broke a tooth, a molar.... hurts... sucks... and have to call the dreaded dentist. painful just typing that word "dentist" YIKES!!

I could see Richard standing over that root and love the pic you have on the top of your post.

Oh girlfriend.... I've missed you. Why hell I've missed me! I've devised a way I can get back more often to my fav blogs. YEAH!!!

Fabu-tastic post!

twinkle teaches said...

Hehe I love your story. We are doing a project also--renovating the bathroom (from Hell!!!) lol. It is seriously causing my eye to twitch!
tina

Sans! said...

Dear Jodie, I picked you as one of my Blogs of Light. Come by if you wish to pick it up. I see your shelf space is quickly running out of space.

Marie S said...

It looks beautiful now.

Chicken Lips said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love yours - so well done!

Creager Studios said...

Ah Shucks Judy...glad the info. helped...remember, I am always here to help where I can...

Hugs,
Jodi

Creager Studios said...

Hi Lille...

ARGH!!! The 'D' word...

Missed you too...

Hugs,
Jodi

Creager Studios said...

Hi Tina... MAN do I ever relate to the 'Twitching Eye' thing....projects can do that to you...Bathroom ya say, we need to do one of those as well...until then I shall pull a Scarlet O'Hara...and "Think about that tomorrow"...

Hugs,
Jodi

Creager Studios said...

Hi Sans...

Bless your heart for passing this Award of Light onto me... means a lot...Thank You so so much!

Hugs,
Jodi

Creager Studios said...

Hi David....

A Real Delight to meet you...your work is WONDERFUL and everyone needs to go over to your fantastic blog and enjoy the talent...
Thanks so much for popping in...

Best,
Jodi