Yard work and gardening

While the lawnmower was being serviced, the grass got very long. On Monday I mowed it, but in the back yard I left the grass catcher assembly off, so that I would not have to keep stopping to dump out the heavy, damp grass. That was something my dad used to do: mow one day without catching the grass, let it dry out on the yard a couple days, then drive the mower over the yard with the grass catcher on and the mower blades up high -- not to cut but to spin and pull the grass in -- and pick up the grass. That way you had less and lighter, dryer grass to deal with. Because the grass this time had gotten so long, I still had a lot to deal with, even though it was dry and light. On Wednesday, I think it was, I did the picking up. Now the law looks quite respectable -- for now.



In a few days it will need to be mowed again, but it will not be so meadow-like as before.

These are the red begonias I planted on Thursday:



And these are flowers still waiting to be planted:



In the black tray on the left in front are eleven French lavender (lavendula dentata). I didn't think I would find any this year, so when I found these in front of Rite-Aid, of all places, I was so excited I picked up the whole tray and put it in my cart.