We Knocked It Out
We have been waiting for a cool breezy day to be able to unload the back of the pickup. There were 12 bags of garden soil
waiting to be put down. Our project started in June when Complete Basements came and put in a rod well in conjunction with a new window well. With the new window so close to the sump pump . . . why take a chance on late winter freezing up the flow from the tile job around the perimeter of the basement.
Dennis and I followed up to put a better grade on the dirt from the foundation to the remaining yard. Knowing how much dirt it would take we put down the first layer that had a lot of clay in it. Whoopee ding! Rain and more rain kept us from finishing it up. These last days called to us to beat cold weather and possibly early winter. Our first 
10 bags of dirt were all that our local ag store had. It was 40 lb. bags of Miracle Grow Moisture Guard. Top notch product. Didn’t need that type of soil but that was the end of their supply. Those 10 bags went over the bulk of the clay closest to the foundation. It had been out in their yard and it was soaked and heavy. Today we put on an additional 12 bags of garden soil from Walmart. It does have fertilize in it and the main thing . . . the contents of the bags were dry. In the photo the dark colored dirt was the moisture guard grade. The lighter is garden dirt with fertilizer.
We had a bucket of garden grass seed that had a bit of age on it. We decided to use that up with a light sprinkling of water. With the threat of rain, we are holding off on the garden seed mousse to see just how much rain is in the offering so as not to have that investment to be compromised. It’s not a perfect job. Dennis said it looked like I had done a great job of distributing and leveling the dirt. His blessing made it all worth while. A good worker always needs moral support. It has put a good grade on to that portion of the yard, filling in more in some spots than others. A total of 1,100 lbs. of good soil will make a difference. Truth to be told, we had never done anything to correct the deficiencies of that area of our yard.
On a lighter note, we have a plant that is in bloom. I stayed true to my word that I was not going to purchase any plants
this year. Friend and neighbor Jan shared a Hibiscus perennial that she has had great success with. Sure enough. It likes the area that I put it in. I will follow her lead; cut it back after a frost and cover with leaves. It is loaded with buds and this blossom is the size of a small dinner plate. This day: success on so many counts. Let the rain begin.