Our Yard

In a recent post, you saw Jesse cutting down the 2 dying cherry trees our yard. I was sad to see them go. Jesse had more plans for our yard though, and for this, I am excited! We have a retaining wall in our yard that was made out of cinder block (side 1) and railroad ties (side 2). Side 1 was slowly starting to fall over because whoever put it in didn't do it right. It looked terrible. So we tore out the wall and are having a new stone wall and paver patio put in, complete with a walkway to our back shed. Here are some pictures of the progress so far:

Side 1 wall removed and land prepared for pavers

Side 2 wall removed

The area directly behind our deck has always been uneven and hole-filled. As Jesse was clearing the area for the walkway, he came across what turned into a HUGE project: The retaining wall behind the deck was one 6x6 that was rotting away and some more crumbling cinderblock. Dirt was slowly sliding past it underneath our deck, thus the reason for the holes. Jesse spent all evening fixing this, working well into the night. Our neighbor's friend helped him place the new 6x6's. I helped carry them from the truck though (She-Ra!).

Measuring depth to make sure new wall will fit

Working into the night...

New wall in place

A job well done!

Next up was digging out the path for the walkway. We all pitched in and worked this time

digging the line

dig, dig, dig!

I told you, I'm She-Ra!

new pathway

Finally, I have some pictures of the progress made so far on the new retaining walls and patio. It's gonna look good!!

Side 1 new wall and pavers

Side 1

Stairs on Side 2 and part of new wall

We'll post more soon!

Our yard. Cherry trees.

So, our yard is going through another transformation of sorts. I didn't do much yard work over the Summer because it's no fun in the heat. However, the weather is now agreeable to spending to many hours and weekends working in the yard. My newest project is cutting down the cherry trees in the back yard. I love them but they are at the end of their 25 year life span. Branches are dying and we barely got any cherries last year - they were moldy. I had a helper named Buddy assisting me for a while today.

I made a lot of progress with my 10" folding saw! More to come.

Somethings I enjoy...

The people that live across the street from me have lived on my block since 1955. They know the history of our street. In late Spring through the end of Summer they sit on their porch for about 3 hours per night. They watch the younger people moving about, doing things that are "important"... I can remember thinking when i first moved in that it must get boring to sit on the porch for hours on end. However, now I wonder if Buck (guy across the street) has figured out what life is about. In fact, now that I think about it I can think of numerous occasions where elderly people spent hours sitting on a porch or in their yard. It appears to me that these people have figured out that life is worth enjoying with sustained sessions of sitting and enjoying the moment - living in the moment. It also occurs to me that it often takes getting older and realizing that what was once important doesn't really matter all that much. Life is better spent in community with people, enjoying conversation, and building memories that will last a lifetime. Buck has inspired me, as difficult as it is, to take time out to sit and enjoy the moment. Often times I realize after the fact that the things that are so important to me takes away from my time with Carrie. I'm not saying that I must get rid of anything that does not include Carrie, just that I need to have a more time for Carrie and other people in my life and a healthy amount of time for what I consider important. If I am not careful I will spend all my free time doing things that are typically fairly solitaire. Some of the photos below are things that I get enjoyment from... first and foremost is my beautiful bride, friend, wonderful life mate. Carrie is amazing!

Crape Myrtle - More landscaping...

So, I spent some time the past couple of days getting my next landscaping project underway. First I wanted to remove the old shrubs as they were really old and one was in pretty bad shape... half the truck was rotted out.

I used my a saw and fire to get the shrub and root out of the ground. I burnt the root system for about two days... this was very effective and much easier than trying to He-Man it out. So, today I replaced the old with some new.

I got these Crape Myrtles today at Lowe's for really reasonably. The subspecies of the plants from closest in the photo are: Tuscarora Crape Myrtle which grows pink and gets about 15' tall, Acoma semi-dwarf Crape Myrtle grows white blooms and about 10' tall, and Zuni Crape Myrtle grows lavender and about 9' tall. All of these plants bloom from summer to late fall. It is nice to have some color in the dog days of summer. Jerk.

Rhododendrons - they are difficult.

The Rhododendrons I planted some time ago are having difficulty growing where I planted them. From what I have read it could be that the soil they were in is not drained well enough, I could be watering them too much (unlikely), or they just all around suck. I transplanted two of them tonight to a place that is just at the top of a small slope. I am hoping the slope will encourage the water to drain downhill. A rhodos natural habitat is very rocky and non-clay soil. Where I had them planted was non-rocky soil and mostly clay! I am a jerk. The first plant looks like it may be gone and the second one is starting to show signs just like the first. I am really, really hoping that moving them will bring them back. It gives me a good feeling to see something that looks hopeless and with work and care it comes back and looks great.






Another possible issue is that these two plants were in direct sunlight pretty much all day. Initially I planted 3 rhodos. The third plant is in the shade for a good part of the day and it is really thriving. The spot these plants are in now have ample shade, so hopefully they recover. If not, I am going to throw them in the street. I may burn them. At the very least I will blow them up with dynamite.

Side yard.

This past Friday night I was able to knock out the small side yard that was pretty bare. My cousin Scott and I worked on it from about 8:30PM to 12:00AM. It is funny to think that on a Friday night I am working on landscaping when in the past I would have been out with friends. Funny the way things and interests change. I am pleased with the way the space turned out. I really like the way the bed looks like it is a continuation of the bed I finished last weekend.

1 - Camellia Japonica Greensboro Red
2 - Spirea Japonica Goldmound
1 - Spirea Japonica Little Priness
2 - Dwarf Azalea Gumbo Pink
3 - Dwarf Azalea Gumbo White

What do you think of the turnout?







You may think Rummy is smiling at you... he's not, in fact, he is laughing at you... not with you. He just wanted me to let you know.

The battle for my backyard...

To say that my backyard was overgrown is an understatement. Initailly, I had a rainforest in my backyard! When the sun would shine there was no indication that it was doing so if you were standing under the canopy of trees. Carrie and I have worked very hard to get the yard back. I still have to spread some cedar mulch but other than that I think the very back of our yard is done... for now.

This is what I planted:

14 - Thuja Green Giants - These Arborvites will grow to approx. 20' high and 5' wide in a hedge like we have. Thuja Green Giant

7 - Azaleas - A variety of Azaleas. Some are red and some are pink. Similar to this.

3 - Fothergilla Common - This plant is native to Virgina and grows nice white bud. Fothergilla

Here are a few photos for reference: