Hmm

Well, let's see.

There are new gutters on the house. And new downspouts. And leaf protection.

I organised this project through the Annapolis Home Depot (the one on 450, not the one on Forest Drive), and honestly, it went very well. The estimate guy came when he said he would. One week later, the measurements guy came when he said he would. The project coordinator (a third person) phoned two days after the measurements guy came, and asked if the next Saturday would be a convenient time for the actual work to happen.

Why yes, Saturday would be perfect.

And lo, the actual roofing-and-gutters crew (a local business contracted by HD, much the way Sears does things) showed up at the time promised, and did their thing. This involved a lot of stamping about on the roof, but it was all done by early afternoon, so Saturday afternoon naptime was not affected.

Sunday, I gardened. Actual spade-in-the-ground gardening, not just raking up leaves, though it probably goes without saying that there are still plenty of leaves to rake. Four 'Ronsdorfer Beauty' moss phlox (phloxes? phloci? Phlox subulata, anyway) went in along the walk, between the boxwoods. I'd originally planned some creeping speedwell for there, but the speedwell did not work out. The phlox I hope will endure. If the neighbourhood moss phlox population is any indicator they should be fine.

I put a Céline Forestier rose (because I am a hopeless sucker for Noisettes) on the other side of the fence, behind the boxwood. Céline has a reputation for being rather tender, even in zone 7, but this is a good sunny spot and there will, of course, be plenty of leaves for winter protection. The spot is not far from where Mrs Wood's Lavender Noisette is finally starting to take off.

There are a couple more perennials to set in and two more roses -- a Zéphirine Drouhin to replace the one brutally murdered last summer by someone with an unauthorised bottle of Roundup, and a Violet Hood because I am also a sucker for mauve and purple roses. I have not decided whether to put Zéphirine on the front fence where the previous one was, or to find someplace with fewer bad memories. I haven't settled on a place for Violet Hood yet, either, and I am still moving the pots of perennials around a bit, though I have a pretty fair idea of where I want them to go.

Today, it's pouring. Good for newly planted things, and the new gutters give a certain smug satisfaction.

Next weekend I should really go buy mulch.