Weekend Update

Wow, this was a busy weekend...  here are the high points -- I will try to post some photos tomorrow.

1)  I volunteered at the butterfly plant sale on Saturday -- so much fun!  I spent the majority of the day chatting with two Master Naturalists while we tended to customers.  I picked their brains all day long about becoming and being a Master Naturalist, and a Naturalist vs. a Master Gardener.  I also bought more plants... although no, I hadn't yet planted the ones that I had bought on Tuesday at volunteer orientation. 

2)  Sunday morning I spent puttering around in the yard.  I removed pansies from an old bed and planted some of my new plants in it, and then put the pansies back in around them.  I set two areas of pavers as stepping stones -- part of my on-going battle against mud. I planted two new plants back by the fence, and while I was there did some weeding around the yoga platforms and raspberries.  It was a blissful day of playing the dirt.  Saturday night I watched the basketball game -- GO MAVS!!

3)  Sunday afternoon my neighbors helped me get a 1/2 yard of decomposed granite!  Much longer story there -- but for now, it's fab, and it was just in time for quite an unexpected rainstorm this morning.  Yay!  I'll probably need 2 more loads to have it cover the way I'd like. 

4)  A neighbor put out a big garbage can to catch rain overnight and emailed me this morning, thrilled and amazed at how much water she collected with so little rain -- and she's definitely committed to a rain barrel.  Love that.

Gutters and Chains

My gutter company came out today to add a downspout for the barrel that was moved from my porch to my sideyard, and to shorten a downspout that was a hair too long when the steel table was inserted below it.  Here's the new downspout:

And then when I'd put up the copper rain chain on my porch, I had to shorten it -- it was much longer than I needed.  I had the extra piece... what to do with it?  I asked the gutter guy if I could incorporate it anywhere.  He looked around and suggested I take down one of the carport downspouts that goes all the way to the ground, not into a barrel, and put it up there.  Stellar:

I think it looks beautiful there, and it gives me several options -- another rain barrel, a basin at ground level, a rock "field" to prevent a muddy hole, or, if I am johnny-on-the-spot when it rains, throw a bucket under it.