It's All Happening in the Yard

After loads of calls, discussions, deposits, and scheduling conflicts our major outdoor projects for the yard are actually happening. The landscaping project happened this week. In the conception and realization it is so much like my fantasy for the space it's amazing. It's beautiful now and will be stunning when the plants mature.

I had thought only some of the shrubs were going in the front yard and that some were destined for a backyard privacy screen. That proved not to be the case, so I will be purchasing smaller shrubs to become my backyard screen. They will have to be much smaller because of the cost, but also because I do not feel capable of digging huge holes for big shrubs, not having access to the giant auger the guys used to install these large shrubs. Once they got going planting the shrubs it really did not take long at all to get them in. They were careful to place the shrubs evenly across the bed and to be sure they were all upright. The guys even straightened up my suffering mailbox so it would not make their pretty bed look bad. It still looks pitiful. Maybe next year I will upgrade it to something more attractive. They had not started on my shrub border, so I was thrilled when I came home to see the delightful wavy edge. My little shrubs still look like sticks, but by the end of the summer I hope they will  have a little more presence. I'll still have to wade in and clean out the brambles closer to the fence line, which is not a fun job. Today I will probably try to cruise on over to the dump to get some mulch for the shady bed to get it mulched in before the weeds start up for the season. If anyone wonders who did this work for us, it was Maffei Landscaping. I found them to be efficient, respectful of my property and efficient. They did not make fun of my pitiful sticks! I know our job was small and not especially challenging, so YMMV if your job requires more detailed plans than mine did. I was able to specify a particular species and variety of shrub, and that was the only specific requirement I had. Pretty easy to accommodate, I think, as it is one that is used quite commonly here and I know they do well.

The next project to get underway is out new fencing. Actually it has been underway for some time. When I talked to our "fence guy" this morning he said our fence was built and ready to install. This will happen next week, while I am away visiting family. Shana will be here to appreciate its beauty, and to see the dogs reaction to having unfettered access to part of the yard. I have my doubts about whether they will return to the house when called! I think we will still  have to tether them to the front porch when we have winter storms because the kitchen slider drifts in. Until we get out and clear the deck there is no way the dogs could plow through all the snow that piles up there.


You'd think all of these big projects would satisfy my desire to tear things up around the yard, but no such luck. Probably I will be satisfied when things are in full swing out there and I am barely keeping up with weeding and mowing. That little bit of realism should calm me down!

I'm setting big knitting projects aside in favor of travel knitting for a little bit. I'll have loads of travel time and my family visits will not be much fun if I am counting and ripping back. Socks it is - or maybe plain mittens for the winter I know will be back.