Welcome to Debbie-Dabble Blog!!
I am so happy you decided to stop by!!
Blogging has always been a stress reliever for me along with an avenue to share my passions which are my home and my garden.....
I
feel it is a personal Journal that, hopefully, someday, my Twin
Granddaughters will be able to look back on to learn about who I
was....
I will be posting 3 times a week on MONDAYS, THURSDAYS and SATURDAYS....
As always, click on each picture if you would like to enlarge it....
PINTEREST
A NOTE ABOUT COMMENTS
I
enjoy reading your comments and will return the favor by visiting and
commenting on your blog or reply to you directly here if you do not have
a blog but I do have my comment section set to Moderation due to
spammers and hackers so your comment will not appear immediately...
And since I have a very busy life, like most of us do, it may take me awhile to return your comments but I promise I will....
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In my last post, I shared how I cleaned up my small back yard after the Winter....
Click HERE if you missed that post!!
I want to Thank Linda, over at Life and Linda, for choosing my post, Easter Celebration and Tablescape, as one of her features from last week's Love Your Creativity Link Party!!
.webp)
Thanks so much, Linda!!
Thanks
to Esme, over at Esme Salon, for choosing my post, What I Have Bought and What I have Transplanted Recently?, as one of her features from last
week's Senior Salon Pit Stop link Party!
Thanks again, Esme!!
Please stop by and link up to these charming parties!!
Today, I am sticking with a garden theme......
By now, I am usually sharing how I set up my front porch for the Summer and what my flower beds in front look like in full bloom .....
I will get to some of the flower beds in a minute....
I can not share the front porch because it actually looks like this right now....
I moved some things from the front yard on to the porch because our HOA is replacing all the crumbling sidewalks and "trippers" in our townhouse development....
These are the ones, along with a tripper block that is located directly in front of the entrance to my front porch, that were removed and replaced......
You can see why....
The guys worked for 2 days in front of my house.....
No, they did not use a jack hammer but instead used a sledge hammer and a pic!!!
They are Latino and I know that there is no way , no how, you will see any American born young men doing this type of hard, physical labor for a living!!!
The sidewalk being replaced directly in front of my porch...
These nice and courteous young gentlemen did not have gloves so I gave them 2 pairs of Joe's gloves so they could protect their hands....
They were very appreciative and could not thank me enough....
So much so that when I went out Friday morning to get groceries, they ran down to my car to help me carry them up the steps from the parking lot to my front porch!!!
So nice of them to do so!!!
Kindness spawns more Kindness...
You can see the spacers between the old and the new....
Because of the slope in front of our houses, the concrete truck had to park up at the other end of my row where they were also replacing sidewalks.....
They then had to bring the concrete down to my sidewalks via wheel barrow.....
So happy to see them using Joe's gloves again.....
This is the owner of this local business and he is a true Artisan Craftsman who was taught by his grandfather before him, who was a master mason, in the true tradition of all the immigrants that have come to America for a better way of life....
Just like my Paternal Grandparents, Maternal Great Grandparents and Joe's Maternal Grandparents, who were all immigrants from Poland.....
I am familiar with pouring concrete as I helped my Dad pour my concrete patio blocks in the back of my house and mixed the Secrete with water in a wheel barrow to form the concrete as we could not get a truck back there....
This guy was meticulous.....
This is my next door neighbor Mehrukh and her children Usef and Nyla!!
I was explaining to them what the workers were doing...
Look at the look on Usef's face watching them work the concrete!!
He likes to keep some of his toys with him in a back pack!!
They will be my neighbors a bit longer as since her husband's Residency will be over in June, and he has accepted a job as a Physician for the Healthcare System that I used to work for, Geisinger....
The other guy is an apprentice, learning this much needed trade....
Edging everything out....
And this is something that I honestly never saw done before both by my Dad and the other times that we had sidewalks replaced over the 46 years that I have lived here in this development!!
He was meticulously feather brushing the concrete to create a certain finish!!
He was so particular of his craft.....
And then the unthinkable happened!!!!!
A storm popped up out of no where because of the darn humidity that we have here in NEPA anymore!!!
Thank goodness I had plastic paint drop cloths in my stash!!!
Amazingly, I had the exact amount of drop cloths to cover all the blocks of concrete that was just poured!!
But this storm, with thunder and wind, dumped a half an inch of rain in about 15 minutes!!!!!!
I thought these poor guys were going to have a stroke as they worked so quickly to salvage their work!!!!
They were able to save my new sidewalks but were not sure about the others and resigned themselves to the fact that they may have to start all over again with the other ones!!!
My heart broke for them....
Mine came out great and I am happy to report that the other ones did too!!!
They will be removing the wood this morning and then I can work on finishing off my flower beds and calling the landscaper to come and mulch the front of my house, the house next door and my neighbor Ed's.....
Since we are going to be getting periods of much needed rain all week, I wanted to take pictures of my slope because I am not sure it will look like this at the end of the week when the rain is predicted to stop....
Looking down at the slope at the end of my yard .....
My azaleas are starting to bloom.....
Looking at the slope from my steps....
The hostas that I planted on my neighbor's slope many years ago are starting to open up....
This is my next door neighbor's slope which is in desperate need of being mulched as I did not do it last year....
I am no longer going to climb these slopes so I am hiring a landscaper to weed and mulch it....
The yellow flowered bushes are a self reseeding perennial called "Bonfire Spurge"which will turn red in color in the Fall....
They blew over from the neighbor's yard on the end of our row, whose former owner planted a lot of perennials in the front of the house...
The slope in front of my house!
So happy that the bonfire spurge is spreading throughout the slope!
I planted the ground cover phlox and sedum on the slope many years ago.....
It has really filled in nicely.....
So much so that I really do not need much mulch on my slope..
There is Columbine, that also came over from my neighbor's yard, up by the top of the slope....
I hope you enjoyed seeing this annual favorite of my readers....
The phlox do not bloom long, barely for 2 weeks ....
If they are still in bloom and look decent by the end of this week of rain showers, I will take a few more pictures to share with you!!
I will be working, between rain drops, to replace the brick border in my flower bed under the Living Room window and straighten out the front flower bed a bit...
I do not think I will get to start working on the front porch due to the rain so I plan on starting to take down and pack up Easter in the house this week....
In my next post on THURSDAY, I plan on starting to share the Den now decorated in an English Country Cottage/Americana theme for the Summer and Fall.....
So I hope you will stop by to visit again on THURSDAY!!
Stay safe, healthy and most of all, HAPPY!!
Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!
If you do not have a blog, PLEASE give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment. If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......
Thanks to those who took the time out of their busy day to spend a little bit of time with me!!
If you do not have a blog, PLEASE give me some way to reply to your comment, maybe by including your email in your comment. If I can not find a way to reach you, I will reply on the post where you commented so please check back......
I am linking up to these parties:
TUESDAY
Inspire Me Tuesdays
Lou Lou Girl's Linky Party
Tuesdays with a Twist
Tuesday Turn About Link Party
Inspire Me Tuesdays
Lou Lou Girl's Linky Party
Tuesdays with a Twist
Tuesday Turn About Link Party
THURSDAY
Please take some time to visit these terrific hosts and all those joining in on the fun!
Good morning, Debbie. I always enjoy seeing your phlox in bloom. In fact it inspired me to plant some in my yard last spring although it's taking it's time spreading. It's nice your walkway is now safe. I am the blessed woman of a 70 y/o husband and 35 y/o son that still never hesitate to do hard manual labor. I've watched them replace our septic system, pour a concrete path around the front of our house among other things. Both were born in the US, but our families came from Europe as immigrants legally and supported themselves. Even my daughter can pull the engine out of her car. I'm proud of my hard working kids. Bless your week.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by!! The phlox do take a bit of time to spread...I hope you are enjoying your week!!
DeleteHugs,
Deb
Hi Deb..your sidewalk came out great! Carl has dug up and poured plenty of concrete in his younger years, not an easy job for sure!
ReplyDeleteYour slopes look lovely, nice and green! Very pretty! Our back yard grass is greening up finally. We are high desert, needs lots of water. Weeds poking up too.
Time to call the guy who mows for us!
Hugs, Barb
Barb,
DeleteThanks again for visiting...We have been getting some much needed rain which is supposed to continue all week...I need to call the landscaper so I can get the slopes mulched....Hope you are having a great week!!
Hugs,
Deb
If someone is going to ream me out for what i write on my own blog post, please have the common decency ( and bravery) to sign your name to it and not post it anonymously....Sorry you took offense but I am welcome to my opinion as you are to yours and I do NOT comment on any posts whether on FB or on Blogs that I disagree with as everyone is entitled to their own opinion...And I RESPECT their opinion even if I disagree with it....And by the way, My own Father did construction work for a living......We still do live in a democracy.....so far.....
ReplyDeleteDeb
It was not my intention to "ream you out" at all. All I did was comment on how proud I am that my husband and son can do hard work and were American born. I was not offended in the least and my comment re: my immigrant relatives were hard workers is something else I am proud of. I don't disagree with you and am not sure why you took it that way. As for not leaving my name, I was under the impression it would automatically post when I hit publish as it has before. BTW, it's Paula
ReplyDeleteIt looks fantastic, Debbie. That's quite the ordeal with the sidewalk guys. And well done saving it after the rain. You must just love coming by the front of your house! It's charming -- and now such a nice new walk!
ReplyDeleteThis was the original comment left by "Paula" Who now says she was "not Offended" You be the Judge....
ReplyDeleteAnonymous
2:59 PM (4 hours ago)
to me
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Early Spring Front Yard & New Sidewalks, 2025":
"I took great offense at your comment "No American born young men would be doing this work". What a stupid comment. Maybe these were American born young men. Or Were they immigrants or illegal aliens? There is a difference. Latino? what does that mean? My 28yr old grandson works hard at this kind of labor for a remodeling company. He is proud to know how to do what is required in these jobs. He is a supervisor but also does what is needed. He is blond with blue eyes."
Sounds to me that she was offended!!!
Deb
How fortunate your association hired such great workers! It is so nice to see people who take pride in what they do. And that is a hard, hard job. I just love the photos of your little neighbors watching the workers. Kids just love construction and to have it right at their doorstep! It was very generous of you to provide work gloves for them. Your flowers are just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteBy the way - I am reading the comment that contains "illegal aliens". Did they come from outer space? Perhaps she meant undocumented immigrants but "illegal aliens" is a buzz word with inappropriate meaning. I take offence at that.
Miss Merry,
DeleteYou made me burst out loud laughing when I read your comment about Outer Space!! I guess she thought that I should have asked if they were documented or not....Illegal or Legal...In my nursing profession , I worked with many nurses from other Countries that had a much better work ethic than the young ones from this Country who did not want to work weekends, Holidays or do over time nor did they want to get dirty because they may break a nail...I kid you not...I could write a book....Also, some of the best nursing assistants I worked with were from other countries..
Thanks for visiting!
Hugs,
Deb
Oh I was so relieved to read that the rain didn't mess up their newly finished sidewalks. You can tell they really take pride in their work. Your front slope is looking lovely with all those blooms. We had lots and lots of rain this week and that seems to have spurned everything to grow and bloom up here.
ReplyDeleteYour front slope is so pretty, featuring you at Wednesdays in the studio!
ReplyDelete