Renovating the Yard: Part 2 *****see note

So after the last blog post I thought I'd wait for a beautiful, bright, sunny summer day (of which there is always an abundance during a PEI summer) to take some after photos of the back yard....and then it began to rain. And rain and rain and rain. For about a week. I finally woke up to the sunlight streaming in through the window this past Saturday morning. Perfect weather for some quick snaps but alas, I had to go to work and circumstances led me to getting stuck in a parade and eventually ending up in a potato field....long story..... So FINALLY....I managed to take some this evening. Of course, first there needs to be a quick reminder of our starting point:

 The first glance of the house....not even really taking the back yard into consideration...rookie mistake...

Right after we got the keys...

Our first realization that we might have to do something to the yard.

Still thinking at this point that we had it all under control....we just needed to do some raking. Ha!

And now, after a long cold spring waiting for the grass to grow, we finally have a yard! Behold our new yard in all its glory:

There's still a bit of work to be done (of course, there's always more work to be done....this is finally starting to sink in after almost two years of home ownership....) but it's looking really spiffy, don't you think? And yes, that is my veggie garden peeking out from behind the shed.

The new view looking from the corner of the deck (we are very aware of the paint situation going on with our shed...be patient, this should be taken care of by the end of summer, weather and mosquitos permitting):

Main difference? The shed now being in the back corner, which really opens up the yard, and the disappearance of my wild garden! I'll be honest....I kind of miss it. I tried to save some of the gorgeous plants, like the irises (irisi?) and peonies, but they are suffering somewhat in their new shady locations. I'm hoping to take care of this next summer and have some plans beginning to form that include a potential full sun garden along the deck...TJ permitting.....

A view of where the deck used to be. The grass is still a bit spotty here, but it's not really a concern because we'll be putting in a walkway to lead to the driveway, as well as getting some new stairs. There's also plans to do something to close in under the laundry room, as once we ripped off the deck we found that there was no foundation or insulation. Suddenly it made a whole lot of sense why the pipes froze the first winter and also why we have to keep the electric baseboard heater cranked to high from September to May. I'm hoping that if I make TJ crawl under the house with a bunch of that pink fluffy stuff we'll see a small difference in the electric bill next winter! Looking at this picture I'm realize that our chestnut tree would be the perfect place for a swing. Hmm....grown ups get swings too, right? Not just for kids? Also noticing that our laundry room window needs some paint and a nice window box. The best thing about this part of the yard is how much easier it will be to shovel snow from now on!

 The view from the lower part of the deck, with a bit of Ru's swimmy pool sneaking into the photo. Also featured are my DECK TOMATOES! I'm just a little bit excited about those. If you look to your left you will see my new clothesline....I've been waiting for a clothesline forever! Its presence makes me more inclined to do laundry this summer. It only fell down three times and Wayne only had to visit twice to "make a suggestion" (a subtle phrase he uses a lot when talking to us....he is a very patient man...) before we figured things out, so I'd say TJ is now an expert in the art of clothesline installation. However, if anyone wants a clothesline installed, you probably shouldn't call him because I get the feeling he wasn't really into the idea of being an expert clothesline hanger. Wayne however, would be a good person to call. You may notice that our hammock is missing. It was eaten by a squirrel and despite my best efforts, could not be fixed to meet safety standards.

All in all, the yard is looking well. The mosquitos drove me away before I could take pictures of the other side yard (to the right in this picture) but we've also been attempting some work down that side as well. There's two sections mapped out for some flower beds, and we chopped down a good portion of the lilac and maple trees, as well as the mysterious bushes with the white flowers that smell nice. We're currently waiting for some more grass to grow down that way before attempting anything else at the moment, but I have lots of fall bulbs and some perennials to stick in the gardens once the "mozzies" die down....if they ever die down.....

So there you have it! Yard renovation 2014 (mostly) complete. Ru is quite pleased with her new space and loves to sit on the deck and survey activity on the Confederation Trail in the early morning. She's not a fan of when the lawn chairs blow off the deck but hey, who is?








*****Note: TJ would like to make it clear that he was very much involved in the great shed moving and deck chopping of the previous post, despite what photos may depict. He is quite certain that the only reason he does not appear in any of the photos is because he was usually UNDER the shed or the deck when they were being moved, otherwise he would be featured quite prominently. I told him I'd make a note of this to appease him as well as reassure his adoring public.