Kat, when I moved into this house I hadn't seen the entire back yard. There is a cyclone fence across the back and it was overgrown with vines and brush, but that isn't at the property line (because that's in the middle of the creek). This lot is 76' at the front and is 217' long. Kind of pie shaped, the back is only 50' wide. It seemed plenty big enough, what we could see of it. Still, we enjoyed finding that last 25'.

That said, I can't imagine trying to cover this lawn with compost--way too much. I keep it mowed often enough that I can keep mowing (if you don't mow often enough then you know what I mean). I use a heavy-duty string trimmer around the edges. The dogs running around back there is surprisingly good at keeping most of it clear.

Today was good. I completed digging a small bed near a fence, I dug out a lot of thistle and other lumpy big spring weeds in the front and side yard. I enlarged a bed down at the curb area (it now is about 7 feet deep, back from the street) and I planted two bags of iris roots that I hadn't gotten around to putting in last fall. Those planted last fall will bloom, these will simply grow the leaves this year, but they're out of the bags. I have a couple of boxes of iris rhizomes still to plant, and I have a veggie garden to dig at the side of the house.

I also cleared out the compost. There were too many branches that wouldn't break down, so I pulled them out. I have two bins at the side of the house for kitchen waste, and one had been sitting there for several weeks. I dug a hole in the compost and pored it in. It smells, best I can describe, like a really strong poopy baby diaper. I buried it over and put the sprinkler on it to run low but for a long time. I hope to keep the dogs from getting into it.

I can feel it in my back and butt, all of that digging. I'm outta here for now! To sleep, perhaps to dream (as long as I take a motrin on my way to bed.)

SRS