stinging nettles

B. and I whacked nettles today. I say we, but actually B. did the bulk of the work while I mowed the lawn and then started alongside her pulling nettles. We were at the very back of the property, and the nettles were sometimes taller than either of us. We were getting stung pretty bad - I even had welding gloves on. She mentioned that the underside of the sword fern, when it's got red dots on it, is soothing for nettle stings. Well, no kidding! The only part of my forearms and elbows that's NOT on fire is where I rubbed the fern on it.

No worries. It'll all be over by tomorrow, and by nightfall the stinging won't be intense enough to keep me awake.

Anyway, we're mostly finished with the killing part of gardening here. Next week we'll need to make a few trips to the composting center with all this nettle, and then we can start bringing in topsoil and grading the back yard, and planting salal out front, and moving some of the foundation plantings that the builder stuck in. There are three hollies, for example, and even though they're dwarf varieties, they've been planted far too close to the foundation in spots they'll overgrow quickly.

B. hasn't got a lot of experience, but she's a hard worker, has a vision for the yard, has even built, single-handedly, a free-standing stone wall with the local rock, and is excellent company. At $15/hour she's a whole lot cheaper than a landscaper. I'm excited that we'll do this thing together. It'll be fun to spend time this summer with a 21-year-old who seems to enjoy my company as much as I do hers. Well, maybe that's the $15/hour talking, but she's still fun to be around. I don't think hobbitt minds too much, either. She's very blond and has a penchant for sleeveless shirts and definitely has no need yet for a brassiere. Oh yeah. She's eye candy for sure. Eye candy with muscles.

Now, if I could just find somebody with a tax id who will wholesale some shrubs for me, I'll be all set. There will be more than a few English laurels planted along the lot line. We're going to need some privacy screening, and fast. And now, off to a niche hot bath to soothe my aching muscles.