...I believe that will be the day I croak over! Seriously! This is almost like Groundhog Day...frustrating, but bound to have a happy ending!

There. I'm done. I've gotten my frustrating thought out for the day.
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In other news - Elle has a great post about gardening. It's actually a new series she's got going on...and it makes me really wanna get out in our yard to do something & make our house look great. The problem is that when I even begin to think about doing something in the yard, I get freaked out with the very thought. I have NO idea what to do! We've done a couple of good things, but nothing just totally awesome. I'm quite confident that you will actually laugh at the "good things" we've done. But I'll share them with you anyway:

1. When we first moved into the house, we found some hosta in a random spot in the backyard. We dug it up and transplanted it in our front flower bed. Yep, folks, that's what we did with it. Didn't put anything with it, though. During the winter months, the front flower bed is a sad sight. But come warmer weather, and our hosta have become like miniature bushes. YES, I know it is time to divide it. But for now, it will stay the way it is. At least the flower bed is not bare.

2. I have to say that I'm proud of the garden my sister & I planted 2 years ago. We went ALL out. The really dorky thing about that garden, though, is the fact that I didn't know that you should pick the broccoli before it flowered. So I ended up with some pretty broccoli plants/flowers. Not edible. But pretty nonetheless! (edited to add that everything else was harvested just right and was quite delicious!!)

3. Before we ever moved in the house, the Bradford pear tree in the front yard was damaged by Hurricane Ivan. After we moved in the house, the tree was completely torn down by Hurricane Katrina. After laying there for a couple weeks, we finally got around to pulling the tree up. AND (yes, there is an 'and' here!) we planted a small cherry tree in its place! Talk about cool! The tree has grown! It bloomed this year and is looking quite robust if I must say so myself!

Other than those 3 cool things, here is what has gone on in our yard:

1. Moles (or chipmunks?) have done a number on our backyard. I've learned of some pretty inhumane things that people do to get rid of the rodents. I can't bring myself to do any of them. If you want to do it for me, go ahead...but DON'T TELL ME. Just let me be happy that my yard is returning to its beautiful state because the rodents decided to pack up and move.

2. My azaleas have (sorta) croaked. Well...we have a couple azaleas that are as beautiful as ever - but a couple of them have half-way died. Several weeks ago, I did an internet search about this very thing and learned that we could cut the dead parts back. So we did, and they are looking better. But I worry about them.

3. The beautiful hydrangea at the back of our house is only getting leaves on part of it. It was fine last year & the year before. It used to be a very robust bush with huge blue blooms. But this year, it has leaves at the base of the bush - but all the outward branches are completely bare. So it looks like a little green bush with long sticks sticking out of it.

4. Basically there is just no plan for either our front or back yard. And we have a pretty big backyard. I dream of having it landscaped and beautiful. But couldn't tell you where I would start. And these things cost money. Or at least I think they do. I also want something easy enough to tend. Call me lazy or whatever you wish - but it's just me.

It's almost as if the outside of our house gave us a couple years to see what we would do...and then gave up on us completely. Or maybe it's the other way around -- I don't know HOW to properly tend these plants, so they just die on me.

Elle, I'm sure your heart is sick, right now, reading about my poor yard. See? This is why I need you to come to Alabama to help me out!! ;)

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In yet other news, I took the final for my last graduate class today. Now, I have to figure out what project I'm going to do to finish up my program. I have a thesis idea - but man, the idea I've got will take well over a year, just to implement and collect the data. When I really stop to think about it, I know that we are (hopefully) going to have a new addition this summer, and after working each day, I'm not sure how much time I will have to devote to something so time and labor intensive. Anyway...I haven't talked specifics with my advisor, but I've gotta get crackin' on something! But that last final...it's weird to know that I am finished with classes. Happy, but weird.

And one more thing before I close...my sister graduates from UA this Saturday with a degree in Education. Congratulations to her! She has accepted a teaching position in N AL - so I'm a little sad that she'll be leaving us here...but happy that things are falling into place for her!

Okay, I think that is all for now. I actually didn't intend on writing a whole post about gardening... but I guess I became inspired to do so, and it's what happened.

Would you say this is any more interesting than a video of us walking on ice in Far East Russia?? Hmmmmm........