A breath of fresh air

This post is a departure from the usual kid-oriented topics...

I was downloading some pictures off of my camera and came across this one, which Sadie must have snapped.

It made me think that it was time to blaaaag a bit about the state of our yard.

Probably the biggest reason I haven't posted any recent updates on the yard projects is because, well, there are none. The yard is actually, dare I say it...done. Or, as done as a yard ever is to people who like to garden (meaning, there's always going to be projects we want to take on). This picture is of the front walkway. With the exception of the impatiens (in the foreground), everything else is either a perennial or a self-seeding annual, so aside from a bit of weeding, there was nothing to do but watch the stuff grow and bloom. There's lots of other things out front that didn't make it into this picture (lilys, irises, hydrangea, decorative grasses...). The front yard really looks awesome, and we get tons of compliments on it from people passing by all the time.

The backyard, too, looks great. The deck is finished and full of containers of flowers and herbs. The yard actually boasts a lawn, a vegetable garden and an herb garden (both of which are being devoured by a groundhog, btw). It has been such a pleasure to enjoy it this year, after going without a usable back yard for so long. We often eat dinner out there, and on the mornings when I manage to get up and out and showered before Eden wakes, I love having my coffee outside, too. I'm considering buying a firepit once they go on clearance so we can enjoy some fall evenings out there. We are also shopping for fences, as we plan to fence the backyard in so that Buddy can stretch his legs out there, so I guess there is a project in the hopper.

Next year, we plan to take on the side yard. It is a shame we have neglected it thus far, as it is street facing, but it just hasn't been a priority. We did do some cleaning up and defined a bed, and Evan built a rock wall, so it is looking ok. The plan for next year is to just fill in the bed and reseed the lawn there (right now we are, in the words of my landscaper brother, "cultivating moss"). Nothing too major, and hopefully, once that is done, aside from the normal grass-cutting, weeding, and seasonal pruning, this part of the yard will chug along as effortlessly as the rest of it.

So...Guess what we are doing this weekend?

Selecting and ordering our decking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The framing is finally all finished, and Evan was able to resuse a ton of the old treated wood for it, which saved us quite a lot in material costs. So, now we're ready to buy the decking. We're going with a synthetic composite decking, instead of actual wood. We gave it a lot of thought and ultimately, it came down to maintenence. There is so much that needs to be taken care of around the house, that the thought of adding on another annual chore (sealing and repairing) was just not so appealing. So, we're going with Timbertech. From looking online, I have an idea of the board style and color I think I want (Tropical Rosewood from the Earthwood collection), but I'd like to see the samples in person before deciding for sure. There are two Timbertech dealers around here, so Saturday, we'll go and make our decision and place our order. I can't wait!!!! This backyard project has been a long time in the making - it is going to be great to get to use the deck soon

Long Overdue Yard Update

Let's see...what to say about the yard? Well, first, the happy news. The front yard really came together this year. Sadie's garden, especially, came in beautifully. We ended up with a melange of hydrangea, lychnis, black-eyed susans, zinnia, alyssum, sunflowers and lillies. We get compliments from neighbors and random people passing by all the time, which feels great.

Now, about the back. You know, the back where I confidently predicted last spring that by the time summer came around, we'd be enjoying many a summer evening, sitting on our new deck, or eating out on our new patio...

Well, let's just say that things have progressed a bit more slowly than hoped or planned for. The good news is that we have a level backyard, and a newly seeded lawn. The frame for the new deck is about 60% complete, so there's an end in sight. Evan has been scouting out a source for free or cheap patio pavers as well. So, I'm cautiously optimistic that we may have a finished deck by October and a new patio just in time to enjoy next spring/summer's cookouts. It may not be ultra fancy with an outdoor kitchen and a stone firepit, but it will still be great, and it will be great to be able to enjoy our backyard, finally.

Wow

I cannot get over how much work Evan and his dad were able to accomplish in 8 hours today. The backyard is totally transformed. Ok, not transformed as in it is now a lush, beautifully landscaped oasis, but transformed into a spot that is obviously about to be planted. The back 'yard' is all leveled out, with new topsoil covering it. Tomorrow evening, he'll seed it, then lay straw mulch down and hopefully, in a couple of weeks, we'll have a lawn.

Found...in the dirtpile

Evan is playing around with heavy machinery working hard with a Bobcat in our yard today, leveling out the yard in preparation for seeding the lawn. So far, he has uncovered a vintage glass Pepsi bottle (cool!) and a clutch of golf-ball sized snake eggs (so, so not cool). I took some pix of his progress when I ran home at lunch, but I'll wait until I can snap up the finished product before posting.

I'm surprised our neighbors weren't crowding around, cheering at the work.

Yard Update Part II

Here's the follow up to last week's Yard Update on the glorious state of the front yard.

And now the bad news. The backyard is still in much the same state (of chaos) that it was in the last update. Time and money have both been pretty limited recently, so no work has really been done there. That is about to change, though. Next weekend, Evan will be leveling the back and getting the grass planted, if all goes well. I'm really anxious to get at least a small vegetable garden in this year (summer just isn't summer without fresh basil and tomatoes), so hopefully it will be ready for it before too long.

I also feel sorry for our neighbors. They are trying to sell their house, and I can imagine the fact that their property abuts our...meadow... isn't helping matters.

Yard Update - Part 1

Given the dichotomic relationship between the status of our front and back yards, it seems fitting to break the update into two parts. Part 1 is a happy, happy, joy, joy update :)

The front yard has really come together nicely this year. All of the hard work Evan put into it last year is really starting to pay off. The lawn looks really good - surprisingly! And, the front beds are starting to flower...the Irises, Impatiens, and Strawberry plants are all currently flowering, and the hydrangea, black-eyed susans and sedum are getting ready for their moment in the spotlight next. Sadie planted a bunch of seeds...nasturtium, sunflowers and zinnia, I think, and they are growing nicely. It will definitely be colorful out there this summer!

My challenge will be to keep it looking fresh and flourishing all summer, instead of having it blow its blossoming load early on. I've signed up for email updates with gardening tips and such from Home Depot. I'm hoping this can serve to remind me about what to do when to get the most life out of the garden this summer. Here's a link, in case you are interested in doing the same:

Again with the Yard...

We had such a productive weekend, as far as the yard goes. Saturday morning, bright and early, Evan, his friend Paul and my father-in-law got out there and started ripping up the old, delapidated deck. The work seemed to go pretty quickly and easily for them. Probably because, as Evan says, "destroying stuff is fun." By noon, the deck was off and most of the building material that couldn't be salvaged was loaded into Evan's truck, ready to go to the dump.

So, now we are left with a bit more of a disaster back there, but within the next week or so, Evan is going to rent a machine and level out the yard. Then, we'll get a load of topsoil delivered, spread that out and plant some grass. Our current plan is to leave it like that until later in the summer when we can afford to buy the material for the new deck. Evan has decided to use Ipe
for it, which is quite a bit more expensive than we had originally budgeted for. So, we'll be deckless for a bit longer.

As an aside...Eden was completely mesmerized by the whole demolition project. She sat in front of the kitch windows, eating her crackers and watching her Daddy work, for well over an hour.


Yesterday, Eden blessed us with a three hour nap in the afternoon, and Sadie cooperated by mostly entertaining herself outside, so Evan and I got a ton done in the front. We got the bed along the front walkway tidied, and Sadie and Evan planted some flower seeds there, as well. We mowed the lawn, transplanted some hydrangeas, and tore out a very unsightly row of stragly azaleas bushes along the driveway. It is really looking pretty good out there!

Other weekend updates, bullet style:

• Had a great playdate with Sadie's friend Olivia, and her mom and baby sister
• Sadie and I had a girls afternoon, with a trip up to the Short Hills mall to meet my friend Cara
• Above trip did result in my first ever car accident. I got rear-ended (in my father-in-law's car, no less) while stopped at a light.
• Had a nice dinner with my parents last night - they brought Sadie this book, "The Kissing Hand" to help her with the crying at school in the morning issue. It worked like a charm this morning :-)
  

This is Obnoxious, Right?

So, some of the neighborhood kids use our backyard as a cut-through from the school bus stop to neighborhoods...somewhere on the other side of our house. No biggie. I don't love it, but I can live with it. Until we moved in last year, our house was the 'lemon' in the neighborhood, and sat vacant for months and the backyard is still a disaster, so I could see why it is the obvious choice for a shortcut.

Well, this morning, I looked out the kitchen window and saw, not only a kid cutting through, but HIS MOTHER was with him. And then, five minutes later, after the bus picked up the waiting lot, the mother walked back through our yard. Tell me I'm not overreacting...that is totally inappropriate, right? An adult should have enough common sense and courtesy to not walk through other people's property...shouldn't they?

Also, as an aside...anyone have suggestions for preventing kids from walking through the yard? As I said, I don't care much right now, but we're going to be leveling and seeding the yard, and footsteps will not be welcome then. No budget (or desire) for a fence. Thoughts?

Sod v. Seed

That's our big decision for the week.

The idea of having someone come and lay down sod (or even doing it ourselves to save money) is very appealing....I mean...insta-lawn! But, our budget for the whole backyard effort is tight, and even though sod isn't *that* expensive, the upfront cost is lots more than that of seeding.

Thoughts?

Sometimes I Don't Like My Job

...and then I think of the poor men from the tree service company who, at this very moment, are out in our yard, working in the pouring rain. And, somehow sitting in my cozy, dry office doesn't seem so bad.

As an aside....yippee! With the tree removal started, it is official -- our backyard renovation project is officially (if soggily) underway!!!!

More on the Yard Renovation

We're making progress toward our big project for this year - taming the backyard. We're having four trees taken down at the end of the month, and that will pave the way for the rest of the work to begin. Next up will be to tear down the old deck. From the looks of it, it shouldn't be too hard, being as it is halfway rotted and sagging already.

This weekend we'll measure out the space and figure out the exact layout for the new patio. Once we do that, we'll be able to figure out our material needs. Then, the fun begins -- perusing pavers, garden accessories, and yard markers. I'm such a geek, but I love all that kind of stuff. I seriously spend a lot of time drooling over dream yards in Better Home and Gardens each month. I’m so excited to transform our yard into a great outdoor space.

I need to get out (if it ever stops raining) and take a before picture to post, so that you all can appreciate what we’re doing.