#70: Yard Work

before

This has really been an up-hill battle for me all Summer long. Honestly, like an up-mountain battle. As a child, I spent an enormous amount of time on our deck and backyard, so having outdoor space is crucial for me. It made the "must-have" list during our house hunt and I was thrilled to find this house had it. What it didn't have was a bug-free, weeded, naturally lit, beautifully manicured lawn like the one my parents had growing up.

This ideal lawn comes at quite a toll, physically, mentally and financially. We've accumulated so many gadgets, you'd think we owned an acre of property. After our first Summer at the house we've bought:

grass seed, fertilizer and potting soil
plants (some of died and some have flourished)
a hand saw and clippers (in three sizes)
two rakes, which BOTH broke
a new, fully functioning rake
two regular shovels and a hand shovel
tiki torches and citronella oil
bug spray
ant killer
mosquito yard treatment
a Shepard's pole
a watering can, hose and spigot
work gloves
a push broom
black plastic yard bags, which the garbage men wouldn't take
brown paper yard bags, which the garbage men DID take
clear plastic yard bags, what we're supposed to have
60 bricks, which were 30 too many
a lawnmower
a power cord for the (electric) lawnmower

Grass can grow! The middle patch of grass was non-existent before!

Probably not legal within city limits, but what else can I do with left over bricks?

Look what happened to her! At the beginning of the Summer.

This was after a good rainfall and some heavy winds...don't mind the foliage!

And after our first Summer at the house, I feel like we're only about five steps further than where we were when we bought the place. But, it's five steps in the right direction. We managed to rid the ant problem (ish) and grow (some) grass in the shade! I didn't kill my wandering Jew plant and I even managed to grow some herbs. Blueprints are already in the works for next Summer...!

I'm participating in my third annual 92 Days of Summer challenge. Read about the project here.