I hooked up with the McCorkle sale and got quite a few plants and trees.  Patented roses and dwarf butterfly bushes and crape myrtles are gradually getting planted.  I'm trying to grow some garden veggies and annual flowers from seed and it's been very hit or miss.  I obviously need more practice at doing it.  Once I get my LED grow light built, I'll be able to practice all year around.

My point in posting this in my journal is not that I want to be a Dominant's yard boy.  I'm blessed to have some dirt that I can play with.  I can do it half ass and act like it's a curse.  Or I could do my very best I could make it look good.  Very good.  I choose the later.  I knew very little starting out, but I learn and put for the effort.  I'll succeed and the failures along the way reinforce my knowledge and ability.  By doing nothing, I've learned and gained nothing.  It's this desire to be really good at things that capture my curiosity.  I'm not talking being a virtuoso, just being good at it.  Expanding my knowledge and abilities. 

I tend to focus on things that make me more self sufficient.  I'm not growing my food for the winter, raising chickens or hunting, but I am changing my own brakes and oil.  I really really try to avoid relying on other people for things outside needing them to provide compensation for my services.  I don't mind doing things to help people out.  But I'm quite sensitive to mooches. 

I don't expect others to live up to my level of standards for myself.   However, when someone is Dominant, I expect them lead and be able to take care of themselves.  I don't mind at all doing things for someone I truely adore.  I do mind if I just getting to know you and you're expecting me to do your yard work, dishes, laundry, car repairs, and assorted other odd jobs that makes it seem you're too lazy to take care of yourself.  Or buy your dinner, your groceries, a room for a scene.  I expect to pay my way and I'm not a total tightwad, but this best of both world femininity, mixed with perceived entitlements obtained through a declaration of dominance makes things really confusing.  Having a submissive plant flowers at your house because he adores you means so much more than having him do it because you told him to.  The first is a gift you can cherish, the second is more like a transaction for your dominance.  Every guy in the south is taught to hold a door open for a lady.  Buying meals on dates is expected.  Its southern chilvary in an alpha male, submissive female world.  In a D/s world, it's because they're a Queen and I'm submitting to that.  It's the same acts with different titles and really it's same as it ever was.  But wouldn't turning the tables also mean it's an alpha female with her submissive male?

I'm happy the trees I planted last year have sprouted leaves and are looking good.  I read that McCorkles nursery is having their big sale in June, so I'm now working on creating beds for shrubs.

I planted half a dozen hostas and two dozen annuals this week. They were like 80% off at Lowes. I've never done either, so figure it's not too much of a waste of they die. It took me a lot longer to plant them then I plan for. I'm a very optimistic planner it seems. So for so good. Three days in the ground through 95+ heat, and they don't appear to be wilting :) I'm going to buld a work bench this weekend. I don't know jack about joinery, so i got corner ties made by Simpson Strong Tie. They were pricier, but will be very durable and will give me something to work on. I'd like to get into rooting some plant cuttings and it'd be nice to use it to work on.

About got my fence finished over the weekend. All that's left are the doors.  Since they tend to sag over time, they got to be right.  I never built a privacy fence before and ended up doing a pretty good good neighbor style.  I can see all my mistakes though.  I'm that way about serving in D/s too.

About got this mower engine thing figured out.  I may need to pick Domcplsc's brain a little bit to figure out how to really make it purr, but it works and I got to plow through the grass.  It's actually a TruCut reel mower, so it's a specialty mower that I got for bermuda.  The shop had it on sale being used for about 60% off it's retail price, so I had to give it a try.  The reason i got so hot for it is that I moved to a place that had bermuda grass.  Wanting to make it look real nice, I spent a lot of time on the internet and pro landscaping forums trying to figure it all out. 

And I have.  I'm doing the mowing, fertilizing, weed control, irrigation, planting trees, bushes and doing pruning.  There is definately a learning curve, but the idea that I was going to pay or barter with someone to take care of my landscaping isn't my style.  Plus it's an opportunity to show that even the basic things can be done well.  Pros like to make many common things sound like it's out of reach for the average person.  I don't agree with it.  While some of my lawn looks like crap, other looks like a golf course fairway.  I hope to move into doing some cloning to save some money (and learn) and some espalier pruning.

I caught a screw in my lanwmower on Sunday.  I was out mowing the grass and wack, the screw wedged in between the two blades and stopping the blade from spinning.  I turned the mower where it's head down and back end up and fiddled with the screw.  It was wedged in tight. 

Frustated with it I left it alone.  Working on crap like this isn't one of the things I enjoy, not in the heat and not after mowing half the yard already.  I put it up to work on it another day at a later hour when it's cooler and so is my patience. 

I got back to it the next evening.  WOuld have loved to put it off more after a full hard day at work, but the grass grows regardless and if I wait too long, then I'll scalp it and screw it up for a couple weeks.  I tried a screwdriver and it wouldn't budge.  I attached the screw bit to a driver on my ratchet and that worked... but sheared the screw at the point where it was wedged between the two blades.  Dang... what do I do now?  I don't want ot take the blade off because then I'd have to re-align it and I've never done that.

So out comes the hammer.  With gentle taps to the blade, I was able to turn it just enough for it to loose it's bite on the screw.  Out comes the screw!  Yippe. 

I go to crank it and the thing won't crank at all. It's actually doesn't want to even turnover when I pull the string.  Crap!  What is it now?  This bad news will have to wait.

So next evening, I'm trying to figure out the latest development.  I know about engines.  Just know how they work... not a mechanic at all.  It not turning seems to be a breathing problem.  Out comes the spark plug and it will turn easier now.  It squirts a little oil out and the plug has oil on it.  I take off the muffler and even more squirts out the outtake.  It appears having it ass up got the oil drained to it's head and it won't start because the cylindar is full of oil. I crank and crank and the extra oil squirts out little by little.  I get it started with some Carb cleaner... which is very very flammable.  But it won't run.  I'm just totally stressed now... wtf is the engine messed up?  I start to take apart the carb and there's a bunch of oil in it.  After emptying it out, I got it going and running.   Now just need to mow my grass days late dangit.

I've never done this before.  Any of it, but i was able to solve the problem.  Anyone on this site that's capable of these things?

Listening to Chris Thile.  Very impressed with Nickel Creek.  Day late to see them live.  You tube got an impressive version of  The Fox.  Also liking Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show, it's a Dylan cover song.  Saw Sam Bush live recently in a bar.  Was dissapointed but honored.  It's like the Judas Priest concert.  Sam Bush is father of new grass and Priest are fathers of heavy metal, especially "the look"