I love getting up early in the morning, before everyone else is up, to enjoy the peace and quiet. I grab a cup of coffee and my bible, light a couple of candles and snuggle up in my red chair. I'll spend a few moments just looking out into the back yard and listen to the birds sing and watch the sun glisten through the trees. It's so refreshing and makes my whole day run so much smoother.
However, living in the forest has it's draw backs. Our yard is pretty much just dirt and weeds. 2 weeks ago I started to see some green peak through our leaf covered lot and I got inspired. Maybe a little too inspired. But for some reason, when I get my mind set on a project, I won't stop until it's finished. Thus, I took 2 weeks off of our "normal" routine and spent countless hours uncovering our lot. 60 bags of leaves and 2 pairs of gloves later, I was finally able to see our bushes. I know these pictures just seem normal, but there was literally feet of leaves piled up all around the house and no green could be seen in the yard.
Ben and I laid mulch, planted some flowers in hanging plants and planted some herbs and tomatoes in pots on the back porch. We had to be careful what we planted and where because the deer come out at night and eat the plants. I love that deer are so near, but I love my pretty flowers more.
If you look closely enough in the first picture you can see the massive amount of leaves still in our far back yard, behind the swing set. I'd love to clean all that up too, but my patience with leaves at this moment has run out. Maybe in a few weeks my ambition will return, but for now, I'm going to enjoy my new clean yard.
When I first started this project, Ben thought I was slightly nuts. Maybe really nuts. I've never cared a lick about yard work before. In Michigan, we had an awesome yard, complete with a beautiful strawberry garden that my dad planted for me, but I rarely spent any time outside helping Ben with the upkeep. I don't know what came over me, but all of the sudden I fell in love with it. I loved being outside. I loved getting my hands dirty and seeing the beautiful progress that was being made. I loved the time I was able to spend with Ben and the kids. The only part I don't love is coveting for a better yard. I call our neighbors "Better Homes and Garden house" because it seriously could be on the cover of that magazine. Since we're just renting it makes no sense to invest (and it would be a huge investment) in the yard, but I would LOVE to have real grass for my kids to be able to run around in. All coveting aside, the past few weeks has turned me into a whole new gardening Jen. It's made me regret all the years I've sat inside while Ben's been outside by himself working hard. I look forward to the day when we can plant another strawberry patch and vegetable garden and spend hours together planting, weeding and enjoying the fruits of our labor.
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