I have been reflecting today on this place we get to call home.
We have been here for 5 months now. Almost half a year.
We have been here for 5 months now. Almost half a year.
When we purchased the home, there was snow on the ground. By June, the snow was gone, but a healthy field of weeds had taken it's place. The garden was abundant with weeds and really, the entire back yard seemed to be made up of them. The grass that did exist was spotted, sparse and on the verge of being completely choked out.
The size of this yard was a blessing, but we knew we had our work cut out for us.
Within a week of moving in - we set to work.
We started on our hands and knees, pulling up each tangly little plant, trying to get the roots too.
I know this yard looks like it is green and lush , but it is ALL weed!
Like - 80% lush and thriving weed!
It didn't take long to see that if we went about it this way, it would take weeks, maybe even months.
It was time to bring out the big gun - Grandpa's rototiller.
We really debated taking the tiller to the remaining remnants of a lawn, but the hope was that if we could tear up the earth and knock the weeds down and then plant new grass, that might give our backyard a fighting chance.
So, we tore up the garden and the lawn. Planted grass seed. And then covered it all with a layer of lawn clippings which turned out to be an awesome move. (Yay, John!) Within days we saw beautiful, bright green cross poking up through the matted covering.
It was the most hopeful sight!!!
We had been excited about this little shed that sat at the back corner of our yard. The previous owners had used it to store their lawnmower etc, but we turned it into a little lounge area for a while, affectionately called The Swamp.
We tried to make it useful, but as we watched our lawn start to grow, we knew we wanted more SPACE, so this thing just had to go!
Crazy what a difference that made. Removing that shed opened up our view and made our yard feel that much bigger!
(John took a break from all the watering to build a new gate for us on one side of the house.
The goal is to one day be able to update our entire fence!
We are so glad we did not give up on this lawn. We feel confident that with some extra seeding in the spring, a little bit of love, and a whole lot of vision - we will be able to turn this yard into a real oasis. It is going to take some time, but we are super excited!
