<p style="text-align:center;"><em>A guest blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara</em></p>
Inspired by our recent vacation in Colorado, I decided to do something about our flower beds.  They had become unrecognizable.

I really hadn’t noticed until we spent time at my parents house where they had just completed some wonderful landscaping.

Just because there weren’t beautiful mountains surrounding our house, that didn’t mean we couldn’t have other kinds of beauty – or at least some order.

I chose a small planter-type bed at the front porch and began.  It had rained several times during the week so the ground was nice and soft and there was a cool front keeping the temperatures within reason.

<a href="https://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/before-1.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4949" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/before-1.png?w=300" alt="before 1" width="300" height="169" /></a>Our neighbors had dwarf yaupon holly bushes  they didn’t want so I moved them into our flower bed to replace the ones that had died. It was a long day but well worth it.
<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="https://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/after-1.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4950" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/after-1.png?w=300" alt="after 1" width="300" height="169" /></a> What do you think?</p>
I was so excited about the results I decided to tackle the bed in front of the newly weeded bed next. It was a two day project.

<a href="https://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/before-2.png"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-4951" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/before-2.png?w=300" alt="before 2" width="300" height="169" /></a>As I pulled weeds, and pulled weeds, and pulled weeds, I uncovered several different types of insects -- spiders, ants, snails, and roly-poly bugs. I even found a small lizard.

I felt somewhat guilty about destroying their habitat and hoped no one contacted the IPS (Insect Preservation Society). I figured I could justify the process as home improvement for bugs.

Our neighbors had gotten a trailer full from the city and had used all they needed. They were to thrilled to have their trailer emptied.
<p style="text-align:left;">I thought the weeding would be the hardest part until I started moving mulch. I lost count of the number of wheelbarrows full of mulch I hauled across the yard. <a href="https://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/after-2.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4952" src="http://judythewriter.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/after-2.png?w=300" alt="after 2" width="300" height="168" /></a>Once again the result was well worth the effort.</p>
Today I am staying inside and resting the muscles I didn’t know I had that have hurt since Sunday.

Hopefully by Saturday I’ll be ready to tackle the next bed.