Sunday was one of those days when I suddenly made a big step forward with the Folly Wall project. That is so typical around here. I'll work like mad on something, then get called away and the project can linger for months with nothing being done. Then another good day and lots done. Yesterday I got the little footer trench filled with gravel, tamped level. Set the first course of concrete blocks (just 6) and leveled them; this is the beginning of one wall of the big raised bed at the top. Once that first course was done, I was able to resume work on the little "patio" of crazy paving that will run right up to the bottom of that raised bed. That was made more difficult by the fact that everything was trampled mud. But I got the weeds dug out, leveled, then cut and placed old plastic feed bags as weed block. Hauled buckets of fine grit up to cover them.
I found I did not have nearly enough of the "crazy paving" (broken concrete paving I salvaged from some guy's walkway) to finish that area. Hmm.... I dug out an old rectangular wooden form we used years ago to make the concrete pads under the deck steps. I didn't want to suddenly go from irregular paving (which, I might say looks pretty darn good!) to big slabs of rectangular concrete so I stuck bits of wood inside the frame to divide it up into random "chunks." Mixed and poured concrete and Bob's your uncle. Five more odd shaped pieces for the paving. It may look a bit different, but after some weathering in place should be fine. I'll have to make more today, but I am considering a line of square pavers right up against the wall of this new raised bed, just to make things a bit easier.
Fired with enthusiasm, I drove down to Lowe's in Maryland and bought an 80-pound bag of mortar so that I can begin to mortar all this paving into place today. Our temps are supposed to get to 65 so that should be fine. (I wish they sold mortar in smaller bags...I can't begin to lift 80 pounds and it's so difficult to divide up a big bag like that.) I have to admit it: I love messing about with masonry.
After all that heavy lifting, carrying, and hauling, I thank God and modern science for naproxen. By evening all I wanted to do was lay on the couch with a pillow under my knees 
Today I want to prick out and pot on my Shasta daisy seedlings. They are growing very well and it's time for them to get their own individual pots. I have some more seeds I'd like to start, mostly hardy annual flowers. And all this means I have got to get into the greenhouse and do some shifting and sorting. It looks like (:cross_finger: ) our temps are staying fairly mild so I may consider moving the cabbages, broccoli, Shasta daisies, and hardy hibiscus seedlings into the greenhouse. At any rate, I need to get a table cleared and ready for them. If I get the time, I may try to dig out a heavy duty exterior extension cord and see if it's long enough to run from our outside outlet to the greenhouse. I'd feel a lot better if i could get a little heat out there to keep my green babies warm at night.
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