Its been a while since I updated a picture of the whole chalet.

       The paths along the front of the house and across to the Kamenzinds were full of bermuda grass. I have torn them up and taken out the tarpaper, the chips are sifted for soil and earthworms and then relaid on the paths over cardboard. On the path to the Kamenzinds I used horticultural vinegar to kill the weeds figuring it will be gone in a week. The foaming was amazing; yes the Texas soil is really akaline. As I proceeded along the front of the house I stopped using the vinegar ( at 12 to 20$)and figured if the soil and chips react as they did in Alexandria I should get a yearly "strip compost" of soil and worms. In Alexandria at Chinquapin I could get two or three crops per year. The third most valuable commodity on Mount Chalet is usable soil right after shade and rainfall.
       I ran short of chips ( but have lots of low grade siftings I call walk compost) and I have been watching for piles of it around.  Its available all over central Texas.  I found some nearby and pickup up a couple buckets full each morning.  I don't get the same number of steps on my fitbit but I do get some upper body exercise.  The pile I found is so old its full of mycelium and I add the white bits to the two compost piles.  The cedar chips seems seems to age to a similar color under the surface.  If it gets grey you just stir it about and its back to cedar bark color.  This seems constant wether the chips are fresh or years old.
     We had 7 inches of rain this May, an all time record for the month though this is the wettest month in Central Texas. I was able to run the hand aerator over the whole green area. The newest plan is the aerate, yielding the 4 to six holes, sprinkle some walkcompost and then rake up the various oak leaves  that have accumulated. This fills in the holes with a minature vertical compost. The leaves get reground with the lawn mower and spread back around the same areas.  In a senior moment early after our arrival, I mowed the grass earlier at 2" and probably scared the Buffalo Grass chunks.  I am back to 4" though I have lately been just using the grass knife to knock down the big stuff.  I am moving towards no till gardening as much as I can.
     Sticker burrs (the white flowers that quickly morph into stickerburrs) are pulled up and go into the trash.  Lately as I go around on weed patrol I first mix a batch of cheap rye grass with walkcompost and place a pinch of it at the base of the weed. I pull the weed out by its long root ( 1 to 5 ") and push the seed compost mixture into the whole.  I am not expecting much annual rye this way but if it starts it will "herbicide" anything trying to grow down that hole. Annual Rye is famous for "does not play well with others".  The stickerburrs will be a yearly battle but if I can vertically compost the entire property thats worth something. I am trying to compost one batch of the sticker burrs but they seem reluctant to breakdown, even in my old styrofoam container from the balony garden.
      I was trashing the bermuda grass and tarpaper flakes from the walks.  Since the tarpaper does really break down I am now using this cull from the walks to fill the 4 year old ruts outside the fence  on the north side of the property.  I really want to store all that standing water in plants if I can.  Each day as I walk by getting my 10000 steps I add sticks to the ruts.  Given a few more months of walking I should have them filled in with old bermuda grass sticks and whatever else is about.  IF I really want to deter the "Mudders" I will place the old metalsprings from down on Johnson road there.  No one wants to get the metal bed frame tangled in their expense shock absorbers.  I will hold off on this.
     Plenty of clouds but rain is not predicted.  I think we will go to the first Saturday Fleamarket in Wimberley.  I really need a metal vice as I have a set of blades to sharpen for the chipper and also the blade on the electric lawn mover. I might even get a grinder but only if its really cheap.  The vice, a file and sharpening stone should be sufficient.  A decent adjustable bench grinder is about 70$. Its nearly fathers day maybe I will find something.