There are times when what was a pretty exciting part of my day to me, is not likely to be exciting for you as a reader. Today probably fits that bill, but I'm going to tell you anyway, because I am excited about it.
Marty and I bought a house right around the time that we got married, and we have done nothing but watch our yard deteriorate, for several reasons/excuses... He's been sloooowly tapering down 100+ hour work weeks since we got married, and I've been pregnant or had a newborn or pregnant again or had a newborn again and a very young toddler- and those circumstances don't lend themselves well to yard work. It's pretty ironic how bad our yard is, given that Marty is a landscaper! Which is reason #2 why we've let it go. There is a lot that needs to be redone, from sprinklers to better topsoil, to a different layout; and Marty didn't want to put a bunch of time, effort, or money into a yard that we were going to rip out... soonish.
Our hope/plan at this point is to redo the whole landscape either this year or the next, but I'm spending more and more time outside, and it's getting to me. I'm starting to feel just a tad embarrassed about how bad it's gotten, and now that Carolyn is almost a year old, and Peter is getting better at managing himself outside, I feel capable of doing a little to spruce things up.
There is a small-ish planter area along the walkway to our front door, and it's had a hodgepodge of weeds and ugly or dying plants in it, so today I took it on! This morning I dug up all the bad plants and weeds, and turned over a lot of the soil, and this afternoon I picked up some flowers to plant instead! (Bonus points for the sweet discount because Marty spends so much at the nursery.)
I should have taken a before picture, but I never think about it until I'm halfway through the project and it feels pointless at that point. Also, you'll notice the lovely pieces of junk metal sitting next to the flower bed. That's another story for another day, so just pretend those aren't there for now. Baby steps!
It makes me so happy! And I feel accomplished for more reasons than just beautifying the yard. I've never enjoyed being outside a great deal, and have never loved getting dirty, and have never had that ache to garden. Today felt like conquering all kinds of discomforts and small difficulties, and I love the satisfaction I'm feeling right now. I hope that I can keep at least this one little area pretty.
We'll call this my section of the yard, and we'll call the rest Marty's. Haha :)
Labels: Family, Personal Growth
