The white picket fence I’ve always wanted is up, the deck I envisioned in my mind is built, the four cubic yards of gravel that make the patio and parking court is dispersed and the first 30 plants are in the ground, the results, at least according to Blackberry, are spectacular!
And me? Well I am pooped but pumped.
13 years we have lived in our house and to see what I have always imagined come to life is exciting and well, it reminds me in this “I want it and I want it now” world that when we plan and prioritize and then apply a blend of effort and patience we really can have it all, in time…
“And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes,
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of toast and tea.”T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Looks GREAT!! I know you will enjoy it for quite some time.
Wish I had your “skills”.
We will enjoy it for a good long time and hope one day you will come and enjoy it with us!
Wow! That is a lot of hard work – and it looks GREAT! Your dog looks very pleased with the new landscape as well! That little table in the back looks like a perfect place for a cup of coffee, or tea! Enjoy!
Thank you Becky. Gotta level the table and get a new umbrella and absolutely, I envision many moments enjoying the yard from that very place. It feels good (well not my wrists, but the rest of me at least) to be making headway on this project. Lots more planting to do but it was a great start. I will take more photos and post soon. Thanks for stopping by and for your words of support. They both are appreciated. And yes, the week away was good, and as you can see, extremely productive!
It looks fabulous! It must be a great feeling to finally get it done. We are forever putting off projects around here – this will serve as a bit of inspiration for us too. It is possible! And your dog looks quite pleased as well.
Well done!
Oh Erin, you are so kind and also so sweet to think I am done! I am never done!!! As with any good project, I don’t think it is ever completed!
But thank you for the nice words and so glad to think I may be of inspiration to you. Get up and do that project you have been putting off!!!! And have fun while you do! 
That looks great! I can image all the laughter and fun spilling over in your garden when those plants grow up to be teenagers. LOL
Now that you put it that way, I sorta can too. I think a glass of red wine sitting on my deck overlooking my garden will help me cope very nicely with my next crop of teenagers!
Lovely colours. And you’ve got a little seating area set up, I see, in which to enjoy the fruit (and flowers) of your labours. Very nice work! Your wrists should forgive you at some point
And of course, nothing personalizes a new set-up like the inverted mound (aka: dog seating area) created in the middle of it all.
I think the dog is my favorite part of the yard!
Thanks Tara. It’s been a lot of work and great fun. More to do, but then there is always more to do. I want to put in lots of different plants to attract lots of critter friends, but yes, must rest my wrists. Dang they are bothersome!
Oh the limits of the body…
I am excited about your gardening endeavours – especially the part about attracting critters. If money were not a factor, and I didn’t have to work-work, I would find a large chunk of land, turn it into a protected sanctuary for native plants, bees and other insects and critters… and live happily ever after.
This looks wonderful!!! Your dog seems to be saying, “this is my territory”.
It truly is an amazing feeling to see what you’ve envisioned become a reality. The hard work seems worth it! 
best wishes to you!!