SouthboundYank

@Kay & @diatae, I really appreciate your quick and workable suggestions of the irises and allium for that problem corner spot of the backyard. I'm reasonably sure that I'll have to turn that soil again and convert it to a garden bed...but at least I have some great suggestions to get started. Thanks again!

Not gonna lie, this announcement makes me a little...wistful.

While I've browsed this thread in recent years, I've never had a dire need to visit until now...to hit up you smart/knowledgeable AmWx lawn and garden subject matter experts on what I might be able to do to correct some drainage and grass-growing issues in this particular corner of my backyard. I've included here a pic of that problematic corner -- the area outlined in YELLOW tends to be the collection point of the outflow "pool" of moisture in my backyard -- there's a French drain dug from the other end of my backyard, routing runoff from "uphill" neighbors, around the addition built off the back of our house, to this "downhill" corner of the yard. It's soupy right now, because of the melting of the snow/ice from this past week. When the weather gets nicer/warmer (e.g., late March through October) and when the sun angle is obviously higher, this area only stays damp maybe a day or two after hard rains, but then dries out pretty quickly. We can, and have, lived with those conditions just fine. The area outlined in yellow really doesn't grow grass...but as mentioned, it dries pretty quickly in spring/summer/early fall months, so it's fine. This has been standard operating procedure for the nearly two decades we've lived in this house. My new challenge is the area outlined in RED -- for some reason, in the fall and early winter of 2020, the damnable SQUIRRELS that infest the mature trees surrounding our backyard, literally and completely DUG UP this section, removing ALL grass (which existed in this area before), and turned it into a new extension of the semi-annual mudpit that exists in the yellow-outlined area. The area in red will start to get full sun within the next few weeks, and continuing until October/November, but -- it will now (apparently) be an extension of the yellow-outlined, non-grass mudpit. So, my question to you -- what would you do in either of these areas? Replant grass in either or both areas? Just put down mulch or some other low maintenance option? Both of these areas get sun from about mid-March through October. I've never tried to grow grass in either area (though grass grew just fine in the red-outlined area before now), but I feel like I need to do something to mitigate the damage that the squirrels have done in the red-outlined area. I don't know...I'm at a loss, and my wife is ready to start going Rambo on ALL squirrels that appear in the backyard. Thanks in advance for sharing your opinions.

My wife and I are planning our first several-weeks-long, RV-based, cross-country trip this July to see our oldest son, who's stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, WA. We are so damn excited...because both of us have flown back and forth over the continent more times we can remember over the years....but have never taken a trip like this to stop and see the many sights (to and from) along the way. EDIT: "Nomadland" became available on Hulu last evening. The mrs. and I watched this 2020 movie on a whim last night, and it is one of the most moving, most impactful movies I've seen in awhile. And, given the topic here at hand, I thought I'd mention it. Highly recommended.

My body is ready for it. Especially since you just mentioned going to and hanging out in Old Town for beers.

Dear sweet baby Jesus in a wicker basket. @Mrs.J, I've ogled your soups for years in this forum, but since you've gone down this gluten-free path in recent weeks/months, I have to say that the new dishes you've been trying look as amazing, if not more, than what you've posted in the past. We have shaved sprouts like that at least once weekly with fresh salmon. But we sure don't have the other awesome stuff you've posted here in the past couple of weeks! At the end of the day, I hope this change in diet makes a positive difference in your life.

Got to a high of 34 mid afternoon, down to 31 now. The wind was surprisingly strong most of the day, and while it's backed off some, still gusty. But the sun made a reappearance today, so there's that.

The redundant safety protocols they build into modern airliners is mind-blowing and, at the end of the day, a genuine comfort. Those engines are a technical marvel. I readily admit that, based on statistics alone, mine is a completely irrational fear. I know in my head that these redundant aviation safety systems exist...and yet, I still get tense enough on takeoffs and landings that I could rip the armrests out of the seats. I flew back and forth across the continent on a monthly basis, for work in my 20s and 30s...and if anything, I'm worse now than even back then.

Holy schnitzkes, indeed. Even after decades of flying, I'm still a white-knuckle flier (honestly, an irrational fear in this day and age), so this is nightmare fuel to me. My first thought seeing the pic of the dropped engine cowling in the front yard that @CAPE put up a couple posts back was, "Thank God it didn't hit the house OR the RV in that front yard!" Upon seeing some of these additional pics/videos, I'm more soberly thinking THANK GOD this rig landed safely at Denver. Dear God....

The mrs. and I have nearly dropped that 120 min IPA in our cart at Weggys several times over the past six months, trying to justify the extra cost (vs. getting a SIX-pack of one of the dozens of proven IPAs we can can get there). But -- you've pushed me over the edge, and since she's making a run tonight, I'm going to tell her to bite the bullet on the 120.

Wrote down the names of at least 6-7 decent sounding IPAs that flowed through here at happy hour (ish) last evening...thanks y'all.

Had a lot of college friends from the Philly, south Jersey (even northern MD) areas. Spent my first 20 years growing up in PA, and now 30+ years in VA...yet even after all this time, the latter still doesn't feel like "home" as much as the former. I guess those initial roots never die out.

No offense here, you won't get an argument out of me...although in fairness I've visited many parts of the close-in MD 'burbs that also perfectly match your description. Welcome to Megalopolis.

You've been Harvey for time immemorial. That is a sea change.

Just looked up THAT beer. Wow, you guys are indeed enjoying one helluva happy hour...good stuff.

Yeah, you'd probably look at it now and find it a little cringe-y, in terms of story lines and animation quality...but seven-year old me loved the goofy stories, plus it was a great gateway drug to their music, which was (and remains) unparalleled. I remember standing in front of the TV, trying to dance like Marlon, Jackie & Michael do in the cartoon. Probably a little weird...but certainly no worse than the typical crap you see on TikTok today.

I'm going to date myself...but this was one of my all-time fave cartoons as a kid.

Ooooh, baby....love bocks. Especially high ABV ones.

Tough call...faced the same decision two hours ago. I'd say about 75% of what we cleared was mostly pavement, 25% was still death-defying ice underneath that wasn't coming up. So, yeah -- I'd probably recommend clearing what you can, because it's going down to the high 20s tonight in our part of the area.

Is there a nice sheen to the fresh snow out there? Bet it's gorgeous. Currently 32/26, overcast. A bit of melting going on, but not bad.

I remember reading this last summer -- and couldn't then, and still can't, imagine that level of loss. I'm so sorry. However -- well, well done on your running achievements! My running days are long behind me, but I miss that particular form of exercise -- and I love to hear success stories like this. Good on you!

Damn, man...those Icicles of Doom coming off the side of your house. One of those decides to let fly while someone is walking by, and it's gonna be a recreation of that "stinger to the head" scene from Starship Troopers...

Your location is just across the river and just slightly southeast of my own in SE FfxCo, so I pay close attention to your obs a lot.

We probably have .5" to .75" here, even on paved surfaces. I've seen a few in the sub mention shoveling already, but I'm wondering if I should get out there to clear the sidewalks/driveway. A couple next-door neighbors are out there making me feel guilty.