Today turned out to be an outside landscaping day for me. I had finished the front but still had moving and planting to do in the back around the new room. Sand is very easy to dig into except there seem to be roots everywhere. I bought stepping stones so I can get back to the hose turn on without having to wear gardening shoes. I was hoping to find some very pretty ones and went to a plant - art crafts type fair and found some that had been done with the broken china in pretty patterns but when I asked the price it was $30.00 each and I said thanks they are beautiful but I need about 7. Ended up at Lowes and paid 3.79 each. The plain fact is we would not see them unless we were to turn the water on and no one else is going to be around that side so I am happy with plain stones.

The boxwood shrubs I put in have taken well and the double knockout roses seem as if they have acclimated also. They are in the knockout family but with a larger rose but a more compact shrub. They said they will not get long and leggy - we will see.

I took some pics so you can see the curbing I mentioned having put in. I really like it and said why can't we do this up north. Hubby thought it would crack with the freezing. Probably so. We have used brick or flagstone at home wherever we have needed it and it has held up well except some little rodents tunnel under the front walk to the small verandah to get under the stoop. Next thing you see a brick sinking and I am calling someone to come and fix it. The first time he took a lot of brick off and it was like a little city down there with all kinds of tunnels. Amazing. We are not sure if they are moles, chipmunks or something called voles. I found a powder at Lowes and sprinkle that all around the edges of the walk but you have to keep doing it. It is a war - us against them. I am just afraid one day someone will come to the front door and down will go a brick and someone will have a sprained or worse broken ankle. What do people do that have brick driveways? If anyone has a solution I would like to hear it. I never know what pics are going to pop up first but I took one of the front (should have closed the garage door) one of the side front, one of the side, one of the roses on the right side and one on the left side.

Tomorrow I will have a story to tell you about my pink edged quilt if I haven't lost my mind trying to fix it.