Summer Stay-cation

I confess, we didn’t go anywhere this summer. With me starting a new job and Doug’s job prospects tenuous at the beginning of the summer, and with preparing to send Luke off to college at the end of the summer, we decided it was prudent just to stay home this year. And so, instead of traveling to sea or mountain, we had an adventure right in our own back yard in the form of a complete do-it-yourself renovation (with the exception of a new fence, which was installed by a team of eager 15-year-old Amish boys).

Here’s a “before” picture of the yard taken around Easter. We had a large half-dead maple tree taken down and a lot of overgrown shrubs removed back in the fall, and in the aftermath of this it became abundantly clear that our poor long-neglected yard was in need of a little TLC, if not a major overhaul.



We (ok, I) opted for the major overhaul. I schemed and dreamed and planned our new back yard, never imagining the work that would be required to re-lay the brick walk, build a small retaining wall, install pavers, and lay sod (planting new flowers and trees was the easy part!). Had I known, honestly, I never would have started. It was brutally backbreaking work, all of it, and I’m so glad it’s over. But now that it's done (or very nearly so), it looks quite nice!



There was one person who enjoyed the renovation immensely, however!











I have never seen a 2-year-old so happy to get muddy and dirty, dig for rocks and earthworms, play in sand, water flowers, and generally run amok in a dirty, torn up back yard. The girl had the time of her life this summer! And she learned a lot, too. She carefully studied ants digging a nest in the ground, she watched butterflies and bees dance from flower to flower, she learned which plants were edible in our garden (broccoli, basil, and rosemary), she learned how to make her own mud pool with the garden hose, and she learned how to make sandcastles from the sand that was supposed to be mommy’s to lay under bricks.

I almost feel badly for Lily that the dirt has been all but covered up by bricks, pavers, and grass; but, happily, she seems to be enjoying the new grass just as much as the old dirt. Next year, though, I think we’ll try for a relaxing week at the beach, but not until after we’ve harvested the sour cherries in late June from our new cherry tree. You’ll all be invited over for pie!