Anyway, when we returned home the gardener and landscaper were hard at work trenching the backyard for new sprinkler lines. Since we've dug up the elaborate garden for a simpler one, we have 3 large piles of supplies: gray large trapezoid bricks, regular red bricks, and a woodpile. The orange groves our valley is renowned for are slowly disappearing for new homes and businesses. One day I actually saw them cutting some down (they usually do it at night so the citizens don't notice raise a fuss until suddenly a field is cleared). I asked if I could pay for a truckload, and they agreed. Thus orange tree firewood. But I digress. We had to move the large gray brick pile and half the wood pile so electrical line could be installed to automate the sprinklers. So we spent three hours in the garden doing that and clearing rocks unearthed by the trencher (we live in a river plain), and removing plant debris. After lunch we both napped a couple of hours and had a relaxing afternoon. I sewed awhile on a project requested by a friend who is going to deliver it to remote Africa women in a few days. Then dinner and more resting. A good day.
About that river rock. Tom and I have disposed of two partial truckloads of rock. Then three days ago my ten-year-old grandson and I loaded three wheel barrow loads into the truck bed and "released them into the wild" of the nearby dry riverbed. It's amazing that anything grows in the garden with the amount of rock that is lying hidden beneath the soil.
