July 1, 2026
We found a guy, after several attempts with other companies, who could deliver wood chips. Nicest guy! If you need chips, let me know, and I can hook you up. Thanks to Leah and Michelle for giving us his name and number!
Here they come. Little did we know how many!
Getting ready to unload. It smelled like we were deep in the forest!
Nicest guy! If you need some wood chips, Hassan is your guy. If you need his number, just let me know.
The dump. It is estimated that we had between 6 and 10 yards!
Early in the morning of July 2, we started shoveling, toting, dumping, and spreading the chips in each of the raised-bed garden paths.
I called out for help collecting the cardboard we used to put down as the first barrier against the weeds. Gladys was the overseer that day.
First, before any of this could happen, I used my hoe to destroy as many of the weeds as I could. Then I pulled out what was left by hand. Then a layer of cardboard and then a good 4-6 inches of wood chips.
Bed #1 is complete and watered in.
Bed #2 complete.
The cardboard pile was dwindling, and I got worried, so I put out an SOS, and friends supplied just what we needed.
This bed was a bear! The path wasn't wide enough for the wheelbarrow, so most of it was transferred from the wheelbarrow to my big bucket and then hand-tossed in between each bed. YUCK!
What were you doing at 8:30am on the Fourth of July? We continued to shovel. Our system...get up early and water the gardens (3-hour job), and begin shoveling until around lunch or until we just couldn't stand the heat. And we added a stick barrow.
end of the day
Our neighbor, also named Jan, called and wondered if we needed more cardboard...YES! We headed to Boot Country and got an awesome load. Bill and Jan had the boxes all broken down, loaded on a dolly, and they were waiting for us in the parking lot.
She's going down a bit every single day. We quit around 8pm on the fifth, and this is what we had left.
Out again on the 7th early before it gets so hot and humid you can't think straight...it's going to be a double-fisted Gatorade day.
We are so close!
That's a weak 'we are finished with the beds' smile, but we still have cardboard and wood chips left. What do we do?
'We' work on the compost bins? Why?
On Sunday, our friend Steve asked if he could help. What an angel! Yes please! He even put the new asparagus bed together!
Together, we finished up all the spots where we wanted to spread the chips and still had some chips. The pile that never ends!
The new asparagus bed.
Tuesday night we wnet to bed early because we were about to drop. But had sweet dreams for tomorrow, we would have the entire load moved...we hoped!
Chips under the climbing tree to keep the mud down and make those falls a little softer.
Ready for some picnics.
The. last. of. it!
The 'playground' is now completely chipped!
Thanks, everyone who helped make it happen!
BLOOPERS
