Yard Play

Several years ago, I spent an inordinate amount of time in what I called yard play. It didn't seem fair to call it yard work as I thoroughly enjoyed being outside, digging, planting, weeding, pruning, landscaping, designing, planning, and watching things grow. One day, in the middle of said yard play, while talking to a friend on the phone, she asked, "You're not one of those crazy garden ladies with twigs in her hair, green stains on her clothes, and dirt forever under her nails, are you?" I had never thought of it before, but happily admitted that I was. The garden eventually started to fill in, and didn't need as much tending, except for an occasional whack job when some rogue plant grew beyond it's intended border. But, fairly recently, as our lifestyle and outdoor needs evolved and changed, it only made sense that the back yard warranted a new look. That's when Reese dug a huge hole for the fountain, and I started work on a new patio.

Originally, it was planned to have the entire patio finished by now, but this #@*%! lingering illness really threw life for a loop, and there just hasn't been a single drop of energy left to accomplish the goal. There is delight in the fact that slowly but surely, the backyard master plan is all coming together. The water lily in the above photo is one more completed piece of our Hazel backyard puzzle.