As most of you know, both husband Pieter and I got born with dirt under our fingernails... being the son and/or daughter of a professional market gardener. Growing fruits and vegetables, delivering to the auction for supplying grocery stores.
So... that made us knowledgeable for starting a GARDEN; right?
We had moved into our newly built home in November of 1990...
NOT SO!
Here I am on August 11, 1991, looking in horror at all the soil that got washed out from heavy rain, such as often in summer in subtropical Georgia.
We just got back on August 9, from work and living in Indonesia...
WELCOME HOME!
So after pulling weeds for one day and Pieter working with his weed eater, it was me on the shovel to fill wheelbarrows. Yes, we had two of them!
Pieter in turn wheeled them to the spot for filling it in.
Where did I shovel all that dirt?
Under the newly built house, where after opening the metal door in our staircase area I screamed because we were looking at a mountain of dirt.
Yes, our 'not–so–great-contractor' left it all there and just built the foundation around.
We dug out a big section as we needed it desperately here and later in 1995 we dug out more.
In 2004, husband Pieter dug out the remaining 60 tons (!) for filling in on the left side of our garden and constructing the Rose Suite. See posts below.
Oh, life can be so very glamorous!
Did wear my new bikini while at the shovel beneath the hot/humid home in the basement...
Bikini had arrived in the mail.
This was it, a Gottex bikini with a silk cover up...
Haha, nice and glamorous work uniform don't you think so?
Easy for jumping right under the shower after the day is over and rinsing it all off.
Pieter did the heavy pushing of the wheelbarrow and filling in of the dirt, while having his implant lens out of place... As got diagnosed in the morning. He went next day, after this big job, for the re–positioning of his lens under a light anesthesia.
Rest of the day relaxing... (Pieter!).
On August 20, we put a mixture of spent compost with peat moss between our azaleas as each tropical rain shower washed out the dirt. Hoping they will grow and spread out faster and hold on to the soil!
Oh, on May 16, the previous time off from our work/living in Indonesia (we were there two months at the time...) we both had laid these cross tires in the spots we wanted.
A company that took care of our garden, had laid them and not to our liking.
Yes, those suckers are heavy but we managed!!!
That lantern now was in the wrong spot and Pieter moved that at another later time ...
So much to handle in the four weeks we got off from work in Indonesia!
On August 28, we went again to a certain low spot near a larger creek behind the street where we used to live. We dug up nice patches of grass to fill in the bare spots where everything got washed out from heavy rains...
Our heavy duty wheelbarrow ready for a ride!
Pieter with his heavy duty spade!
Yes, we used our Mercury Sable wagon very intense, after bringing it back home from working/living in Italy...
It got cleaned up well for carrying our suitcases again on September 1, when we would fly back to work and living in Indonesia... 😉
The wagon could then rest for two months at the parking lot of Atlanta Airport...
Grabbing those sods by their sprites and helping unload.
We always worked as a team!
Unloading some right at the trouble spot...
HOPING they will stand their ground this time!
Yes, the lawn is still covered with straw in order to avoid further erosion...
Living on such a steep slope for sure was not easy to start growing grass!
But with perseverance we managed.
Our Garden at the Time we had Access to Spent Mushroom Compost | previous post with video from Middle Georgia Magazine showing a NICE garden
{The Construction of Our Rose Suite - Part I} | previous post about digging out the entire basement and using those 60 tons of dirt to fill in low areas in our garden
{The Construction of Our Rose Suite - Part II} | previous post
Then and Now | previous post where I wear the very jeans skirt from 1987 and in 2020...
I admire your dedication and hard work. Pieter and you have tackled many projects over time as well as travelling the world. Such stamina and strength of character.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Dearest Victor,
DeleteGuess we both were brought up that way and continued to do hard things that came our way. Having stamina and willpower gives you satisfaction when having tackled big challenges.
Hugs,
Mariette
It was definitely worth the effort. Taking care of the land is a lot of work and it is a job that is never finished.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Coisas de Feltro
Dearest Christina,
DeleteIt has been worth our effort and hard work as we at times on a Sunday after Church, could walk around in our own Paradise and enjoy the fruits of our labor!
Every Monday the challenge starts over again.
Hugs,
Mariette
Hi! So nice to meet you on my blog. Good luck with your gardening project, seems a lot of work! Love from Holland!
ReplyDeleteDearest Lien,
DeleteIt is odd to receive a comment from another Limburger... (certainly NOT from Holland!) as we from the 'deep South' are quite different.
You could view the video below my post where Middle Georgia Magazine toured our garden with interview.
We never gave up but it is hard, hard work!
Hugs,
Mariette
You made me tired just seeing the photos and reading about all your hard landscaping work, Mariette. I know all of it paid off in the end!
ReplyDeleteBlessings!
Dearest Martha Jane,
DeleteWell, coming from a country as flat as a pancake, we probably were not fully prepared for the many affects living in a hilly area has and in a subtropical climate... But we both persevered as always and it did pay off in many ways!
Hugs,
Mariette
Hello Mariette, What a Herculean task you and Pieter had to perform! I am not sure if having your own private mountain of dirt was a blessing or not. You saved the cost, but if you had had to buy the fill the truck would have dumped it where you wanted it. One of the reasons I decided not to buy my last home in Ohio was that I realized that it needed a lot of grading over a 2.5 acre lot. I did not have erosion like yours, but more of a general sinking in the middle.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Dearest Jim,
DeleteFirst of all, that contractor never should have left the mountain of dirt under the house! BUT with us at the other end of the world, living and working in Indonesia, he got away with that... We never of course expected such inaction!
So we wanted to get rid of part of that at least and we could put it to good use.
We have several times ordered a truck load of dirt later for grading when we were home from Indonesia.
The lot you mention here above would be quite laborious too.
Hugs,
Mariette
Such a hard work, dearest Mariette, thanks for showing agin those memories!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend to you,
Lvoe and hugs, Claudia so
Dearest Claudia,
DeleteJust showing the history of how our Estate as mentioned in our video became what it was.
Hugs,
Mariette
Another fascinating story to begin my day!
ReplyDeleteDearest Helen,
DeleteThank you and for both of us it feels better now for reliving that time...
No wonder we were both 'toned and fit'...
Hugs,
Mariette
Mucho trabajo ha costado tener a punto ese hermoso jardín, pero la recompensa ha sido, disfrutar después de él.
ReplyDeleteBesos
Querida Antónia,
DeleteAsí que muy cierto, ambos imaginamos el resultado final y ¡valió la pena!
Abrazos,
Mariette
Quite a landslide.
ReplyDeleteDearest Anne,
DeleteYes, after heavy rains often we lost quite some soil... A romantic creek can become a roaring monster!
Hugs,
Mariette
Wow
ReplyDeleteDearest Regine,
DeleteIt was rough, but in the end we won!
Hugs,
Mariette
avete fatto un duro lavoro,ma alla fine siete stati ricompensati!
ReplyDeleteCara Olga,
DeleteHai ragione con questo e siamo contento dopo.
Abbracci,
Mariette
Hallo Mariette, dat zag er niet goed uit, maar jullie weten van aanpakken. Fijn weekend, lieve groet Willy
ReplyDeleteBeste Willy,
DeleteJa, aanpakken is beter dan bij de pakken gaan neerzitten!
Liefs,
Mariette
I think you have to love gardening to have a beautiful garden Mariette, it really is hard, constant work keeping it how you want it to be. It's all worth it in the end though 😉
ReplyDeleteDearest Grace,
DeleteYou sure have to possess a lot of perseverance and a very strong will power to see it through! A nice garden is a never ending chore.
Hugs,
Mariette