The Back Yard

We have a lovely backyard. So much potential lies back there. I see it as a place to relax in someday - eating supper outside on the patio (when we build one), watching the children play on their swing set (when we get one), roasting marshmallows in the fire pit (when we buy one).

So many, many glamorous ideas we have for our backyard.

But first things first. We have to claim it as our own.

You see, something else has taken over our back yard and has been "owning" it long before we moved in.

Ground vines...

They grew everywhere!

Along the fencing.

Along the house.

Up the house.

Even making their way under the siding.

Not good. Not at all.

In my opinion there was nothing pretty about their appearance. They looked messy, icky, and were a huge habitat for bugs. Even the professional exterminator could not fully manage our bug issues. My dear sweet Mike has been back on laundry duty while I recover from the trauma of my one-on-one encounters with spiders in our dungeon of a basement (hey, it can't all be as pretty as our refinished hardwood floors).

It was time for the bug kingdom to be removed and finally claim the backyard as ours.

And hopefully those nasty bugs will not find our house to be so attractive to snuggle up with anymore.

That's my dad in the photo. He brought with him all his big, fancy tools to help us conqueror this massive job. Dad did most of the work, bless his heart. Mike had himself some fun with a chain saw (in case you were wondering, nobody got hurt).



I was busy trailing after a really cute toddler that I did not get back out to the roadside to capture the final photo of the pile. It had grown to more than double this size.


And here's some before's and after's...

I don't want those beautiful window panes to be covered up ever again. Imagine what an improvement this change has made from inside the house as well, peering out those windows. It feels so spacious and bright now. It's also made me realize how dirty my windows are. Eek.

Bare and plain is what our landscaping will likely be for awhile (you, know the whole financial thing?). But you know what else, bare and plain has me smiling rather contently right now. I love having all that overgrown stuff gone! My once jungle of a back yard is now a fresh, clean slate. "So much scope for the imagination", as Anne would say. What will it become next?

This feels good to me.

"Thanks, Dad for your help!"