After three and a half years, I'm finally getting off my ass...

…and landscaping the backyard. Actually, I had a pool built in January, 1999, so I guess you could say it’s only been 1 1/2 years. I picked a good time of year to do it too - June in Arizona.

I’ve had a hell of a time getting motivated, but now I’m getting pretty excited about it and seeing the final (well, not really final) result. Right now I’m digging the trenches for the irrigation system (Automatic irrigation is a “nice thing to have” in most states. It’s “mandatory” in Arizona.) It’s taking forever. I can’t use a ditch-witch where I’m digging right now (between the pool and the wall) because there isn’t enough space. After I get done digging, all I have to do is:

-Install the irrigation system, maybe electrical wiring, hell, maybe a gas line. Fill in the trench
-Plant about 4 plants/small trees
-Maybe install little light fixtures to shine on the plants at night
-Sod the east (wide) side of the yard
-Put down plastic in the west (narrow) side of the yard and around the pool to prevent weeds from growing
-Lay gravel down in the west (narrow) side of the yard and around the pool
-Put some small boulders around the pool, particulary the plants
-Lay down a flagstone walkway along the west side of my yard

That’s it. Nothing to it really. I figure everything else will be a snap compared to digging this damn trench. I was going to reward myself with a BBQ smoker/grill as soon as I’m finished, but first I’m going to reward myself with a professional (LMT, that is) massage, with particular attention paid to the small of my back and my hamstrings, especially the left hamstring.

Yeah, it’s mundane, but I’ll probably update this thread occasionally just to help keep myself motivated if nothing else. Oh, and you’re all invited to a barbecue at my house once I’m finished.

Bah! That’s nothing! Back in my day we had to dig trenches alright, through the snow! Yea, 4 feet of it, and by the time you could reach the newspaper 10 feet away from your front door the way behind you is filled with snow. And that was a mild storm.
No, wait, I’ve never had that happen…

I always figured you could get cheap, illegal-immigrant labor to do the tough work.

'Specially in Arizona.

Yea, but who knows, there could be cops lurking on SDMB, so he’s talking about it secretly, trying to throw off suspicions…I mean Strainger’s a perfectly good, honest, and respectable man, he wouldn’t do something like that…

OK, I have to confess. I’m a cheap illegal immigrant. Please don’t tell anyone. We can all keep it a secret. Right? Right??

Well, when you’re done, Tool-Time, I have a half-dozen or so projects a few thousand miles away you can trek up and take on.