Backyard Blooming

Our backyard was so blah three weeks ago.  If you're been reading for a while, you have heard me wax on and on about our outdoor spaces.  Our backyard went from decent, to good, to bad, to bad bad.  Seriously, my complaining about our backyard goes back to 2008.

As it stands now, we have serious deck dreams (as we did back in this 2010 post, gah).  My dad has actually designed the deck in some fancy software program and although he's super busy, he's going to come help us build it, probably this year sometime (our tax return at work!).  We've seeded grass back there three times, and sodded, and it just doesn't grow.  See that old deck post as to why (water, shade, dog paws, etc.).  So once the deck is in, we're going to landscape/hardscape around it and forgo grass (we've got a whole front yard for kids to play in one day).  The rest of our yard, probably 2/3's is woods - lots of trees and pine needles.  We like this, as it adds privacy and requires no maintenance (hahahahah).  Yet it can easily look overgrown.

The thing is, I sit at our kitchen table three predictable times a day shoving green beans and squash in my baby's face.  I spend a lot of time staring out into the backyard from that table, waiting while my child decides to stare at the ceiling for upwards of three minutes between bites.  It was so dreary out there all winter.  All brown and gray and stick-filled.

I vowed to clean it up (one day), yet my fear of spiders and snake holes and other creepiness stopped me.  Until one day.  One day I suited up.  I wish I had taken a picture.  I wore gray leggings and shorts (so I could see the bugs if they ascended my legs) and then my winter suede boots and knee-high socks (snake bite protection).  Then I just wore a t-shirt and monitored my arms frequently for hitchhikers.

And I made a stick pile.

It sat there for weeks.  (it now sits on the side of our house! ha! maybe it will be in the dump next year?)

But the yard looked so so so much better!  Less cluttered.  The pictures don't do it justice.

don't mind the tote that covers a hole roxy likes to dig...

It was still dreary, but it's was picked up.

The weather was just starting to warm up (this was about Easter), but we weren't exactly motivated to spend too much time outside...

But as each day passed, I sat at that table and watched buds appear.  Then I watched leaves appear, literally overnight.  It was beautiful.  I mean it.  It was beautiful.  My endless minutes spent at that table watching my child smear avocado into her eyeballs turned into an opportunity to see nature unfold before my eyes.  I got to see spring literally bloom.  And I thought about the winter months where the only colors out there were of the gloom palate, and I really appreciated that green.  I loved each bud and bloom.  I smile each day as I look out on the sunshiney green and rich brown.  

The liriope is spreading like crazy!  And Tony pressure washed the shed! (I want to paint it some day!)

We still don't have grass, but it's ok.  Tony spent a lot of time cleaning off the patio, blowing away the pollen dunes and the cobwebs and sprucing it all up.  We planted a few flowers (such cheap and easy joy!).  The table got pressure washed and we suddenly had a little space where we could spend a lazy afternoon in the sunshine.  We've enjoyed many early evenings out there, Harper hanging out in her exersaucer while we sit in the spider-free chairs.  It's glorious.

The dogs go nuts and we pretend like the mosquitoes aren't already appearing.  

We've debated which way the Hello! should face - in or out? Weigh in.

So while we don't have our perfect backyard (yet!), it's a great space to enjoy this spring.  It even looks good in pictures!  (Hint:  it's because you can't see our feet!)

Hopefully we will have backyard progress to report soon!