DWR quilt and more bush wacking

I worked on the DWR at lunchtime and when I got home from work. I had figured out that in order to get this quilt done by the end of August I need to quilt at least two melons a day or a melon and a center a day. I just need my fingers to hang in there! Yesterday I got three melons quilted; that gives me a little cushion in case I have a day that I can't meet my daily quota one day. Just so you know what I am calling a melon, I circled that area in this photo.

At 7 p.m. my neighbor called and asked if he could come over and work on cutting down more of the bushes in the back. He said I didn't need to help, he just wanted to get some exercise. He is trying to get his core strength built up for when he has back surgery. I said sure and got my little electric pole chain saw out and extension cords for him. He is treating my backyard like it was his and has done a marvelous job of cutting the stuff down and hauling it farther down the hill than I ever could. He can also flip the branches up into a pile that I would never be able to do. Here he his starting on the right side of the yard.

The after

The middle to left side of the yard where he limbed up the trees

and the side yard where he limbed up the neighbor's tree that hangs over on my side

I did end up going outside and helping move the branches over to where he was dragging them down the hill, picked up sticks, and gathered up the extension cords. I didn't want to get sweaty last night, but I did. It looks so much better! I will have to get out there and rake up little sticks and use the weed trimmer to clean up the ground stuff; something to do over the 4th! There is a bit more I plan on trimming up, but he got the worst of it for sure!

I also worked in my deck garden. I needed to thin out the bok choy and cut off the leaves on the squash that are below the growing squash. I read somewhere that is what you are suppose to do so I am trying it. The one squash plant is doing better than the ones in the new garden area. I don't think the ones in the garden are getting enough water and the dirt is more compact than the potting soil I used for the deck plant. I know next year I will dig a hole in the dirt and add organic matter and some potting soil to give the plants a better chance.