After the excitement of Canada Day, we had a relaxed weekend. We did our best to stay cool. Sunday afternoon we lounged in a friend's small above-ground pool with the kids. Abi had a blast! She had two episodes of swallowing water down the wrong tube, and one experience of going fully under. She actually recovered faster from the full submersion and didn't seem to have breathed in any water that time. I thought she might want out of the pool at that point, but we had to drag her out later for dinner and she tried climbing back in on her own a few times. I just realized if I'm going to blog about it I should add a photo from yesterday.
Today I had a visit from the by-law enforcement about my yard. I love my neighbours. I once again missed an opportunity to photograph the car parked beneath the no-parking sign in our front yard. Of course, he drives a regular car with no markings stating it has to do with by-law enforcement. Nevertheless, it's the principle of the matter! For some unknown reason he suspected my recently-cut front yard might have been the cause of the complaint. I highly doubt it since the front and side yards are always cut. No, I'm sure it's one of our back neighbours. He checked the backyard and said it was fine! HA!We discussed the by-law requirements. Before he headed to the back I said I have a lot of herbs and yes, they grow tall and are currently in flower. Thus they are even taller than usual. After he returned and said it was fine and they'd close the 'case' (or whatever they call it) I told him about the difficulties we've had with that back, steep-sloped, south-facing yard which had previously been sod-over and of course the sod didn't take properly and I'm stuck with the aftermath of some previous owner's idiocy (not that I said the latter). That we are cultivating whatever will actually survive back there, especially thyme, just to keep the soil together and to restrain the undesirable plants.
He reiterated that the by-law requires growth to be no higher than 8" UNLESS it is something you planted. IE, something you WANT growing there. Thus, "weeds" and "tall grasses" should be kept short. I said that we do actually plant some wildflowers that will grow tall because they will survive.
Maybe I WANT the goldenrod. And while I don't like the burdock (what a PITA to try and cut down if it grows when you're not looking!) and I hate walking past thistles, I'm not going to remove every wild plant back there leaving a bare slope. I have been selectively sorting through the plants. Wild daisies can stay. Thistles I try to at least keep short if not removed. Goldenrod and milkweed and burdock I remove. Crown vetch I plant. Wildflowers I plant. Tall herbs that take over, I definitely plant - all hail the mints! My parsley is also great in that garden.
I'll make sure I whack the unwanted growth before we leave for Winnipeg this month.
Notice I have been referring to myself doing all this work... ahem.
I should have watched to see how exactly the guy approached the backyard to take a look. Instead I ran back upstairs to change glasses. I'm pretty sure he did not take the "secret passage" between the bushes. He either had to look from our back deck or the neighbour's yard.
*sigh* Regardless, I now feel obliged to go back there when the heat breaks I do further work. I also noticed, looking upon it today, that I should water it tonight.
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