Oh home ownership...It's a love/hate relationship. The upside is that our monthly payment is going to something that is ours. Something that is (hopefully) going to turn around and gain equity. Something that we can make our own. The downside is the yard work. When we were house shopping, having a big yard was something that was important to us. Okay, maybe more important to me because yard work has never been something I loathed. Until it became a priority. So, we got a house we loved, with a backyard that would take more time than we could EVER imagine.
Let's premise this. We've lived in our house for over two years and the yard is no where near where we envisioned it. Partly because EVERY year we put the yard project on hold while we waited out the dreadful layoffs. And when the school district finally announced that the jobs were safe, mid-July, it was boiling hot outside, and there was NO WAY we could have made new plants survive, much less ourselves. So, yard work has been put on the back burner. Until this year! YAY! The visions that we had in the beginning are finally starting to take shape.
So, below you will find some pics of our progress, but you won't fully be able to appreciate them without seeing what our yard looked like on day 1. So here's a little preview of the old yard:
Garden BedsWhat seemed like a fantastic find upon our house hunting days, turned out to be a mess. One season of enjoying the tomatoes, squash, peppers & strawberries left behind by the previous owners turned out to be a big project for us. The garden beds that housed these delicious crops were quite literally being held together by the dirt in them. So we crumpled them up, and began the deconstruction of what is known as the "back-back yard" around here!
The Pond
The Pond I admit this is one major feature of the back yard that I reaped the most benefits from. But, Matthew will not be sorry to see it go. What looks like a beautiful, well cared for pond ended up being a major inconvenience, and now with our little munchkin running around, a major safety hazard. Between several broken pumps, a weekend up to my thighs in icy cold water scooping scum out of the water, dead koi in the pump, hundreds of frogs/toads in the yard, and often in the house, and now the fear of Sophia falling in, we've decided this beauty is a gonner.
The Shed
It's huge! It holds everything we need for the backyard. The patio table & chairs fit in it for the winter. AND it's infested with rats. SERIOUSLY. This winter wrecked major havoc on the shed as rodents took over. :( So you can imagine the joy Matthew felt as he opened the shed doors this spring to find it a total disaster. Don't worry, we disinfected every inch of the patio furniture, and we're proud to say...the shed is already gone! (Destruction pictures below!)
One of the many "entrances"
No joke, this is a wooden shed on dirt...no cement foundation. What were these people thinking?
This is the Back-Back Yard now. No more garden beds. (And although that looks like grass, I assure you it's not. The weeds were as tall as Sophia, if not taller.)
The Tall Weeds
Draining the Pond
Not to worry about the fish...We rescued (most) of them and took them to the river. No lie. I didn't have the heart to flush them. And Sophia LOVED them! So funny!
Sophia admiring the goldfish
Our Blue-Eyed Cutie helping out too!
She LOVES being outside, and even tells me on the way home from daycare "ouuuusiiiide"
So stinking cute!
Matthew and Whit starting the shed destruction
The front is all ready for 'tilling, fixing a few minor sprinkler issues and planting! I thought that day might never get here, but it's close!
So, as you can imagine, if we do not already have plans set in stone we've dedicated the next 2,000 weekends to finishing the yard. Family and friends, we know you'll wait for us to be social again. Someday! :)
The ShedIt's huge! It holds everything we need for the backyard. The patio table & chairs fit in it for the winter. AND it's infested with rats. SERIOUSLY. This winter wrecked major havoc on the shed as rodents took over. :( So you can imagine the joy Matthew felt as he opened the shed doors this spring to find it a total disaster. Don't worry, we disinfected every inch of the patio furniture, and we're proud to say...the shed is already gone! (Destruction pictures below!)
One of the many "entrances"No joke, this is a wooden shed on dirt...no cement foundation. What were these people thinking?
And Some Progress...
This is the Back-Back Yard now. No more garden beds. (And although that looks like grass, I assure you it's not. The weeds were as tall as Sophia, if not taller.)
The Tall Weeds
Draining the PondNot to worry about the fish...We rescued (most) of them and took them to the river. No lie. I didn't have the heart to flush them. And Sophia LOVED them! So funny!
Sophia admiring the goldfish
Our Blue-Eyed Cutie helping out too!She LOVES being outside, and even tells me on the way home from daycare "ouuuusiiiide"
So stinking cute!
Matthew and Whit starting the shed destruction
And in case you're wondering if I do any of the work here...I do, and here's some proof of my work...(I'm just usually the one behind the camera!)
The front is all ready for 'tilling, fixing a few minor sprinkler issues and planting! I thought that day might never get here, but it's close!
So, as you can imagine, if we do not already have plans set in stone we've dedicated the next 2,000 weekends to finishing the yard. Family and friends, we know you'll wait for us to be social again. Someday! :)
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