Just Dreaming

Oh, the things I've been dreaming of for the yard!

Chickens. Clucking and scratching and eating bugs and weeds and table scraps. And with all that, egg production, too. And I'm not afraid of the prospect of eating chickens after they are done laying. I could go for some home-raised chicken broth.

Composting. Putting yard waste and shredded junk mail and other scraps to good use? Yes, I think I will.

More vegetable garden space. I'd like to grow a lot more food than we currently are able to. That means more raised beds, and maybe some container gardening too.

Rabbits. And/or other small meat animals. Yes, I am thinking about the possibilities of raising our own meat.

Just some ideas I've had floating around...

Okay, okay...

...okay. This happens to blogs all the time. But instead of lamenting about it, let's just move right along, shall we? I'm back. That's what matters, eh? A few updates:

-Doing Paleo diet, again, only this time, REALLY half-assed. In fact, I'm calling it the half-assed paleo challenge. Or "challenge," more like. I also like to call it the "don't worry" paleo diet. Try to eat paleo, and make it a priority, but if you slip up don't freak out and feel like the whole thing is ruined. Just move right along and get back on the horse or the wagon or whatever the hell.

-Garden went well, although less productive than I had perhaps hoped. Some plants didn't make it. Others did, but produced little or practically nothing. And there was that blossom-end rot issue with some of the tomatoes.BUT. I have to see it as a learning experience, which it REALLY was, since now I know what it's like and how I can change things next time.Hooray, glass half full!

-Found a new rec center to frequent, and I love it to death! Now to save up money to actually JOIN it. It's pretty great and will be worth every penny.

Summer, in photos (so far)

this is summer.

Back in Business

Well, almost.

All the topsoil is in now. We've been given the go-ahead to put the veggie garden back together, and that's just what we started to do tonight! We've got it level, and tomorrow we'll put the dirt back in. After that? Plants!

During the whole waiting period, I finished a kind of fun/creative project for the garden: these plant markers.

 Thrift store spoons + hand-drawn labels on paper + mod podge = these heavy duty garden markers that happen to be quite cute. Maybe a little TOO cute for me.

State of the Yard Address

A lot of my hopes for the yard have been dashed lately. I know that in the end this will all be for the best, since we'll be getting a topsoil layer to help make our rocky terrain more useful for growing stuff. But right now...

THIS is my poor garden. It had to be moved out of the way when the yard was being excavated. Hopefully it will be put back together by the end of the week, at which point we can FINALLY plant these guys:

The garden wasn't the only casualty of the landscaping work. Our poor little trees were subjected to some stress as well. Look at the oil left behind by the machines!

There is some good news, though--while inspecting the fruit trees, we found that some of them had fruit beginning to grow:

 Sadly, many of the little fruits fell off thanks to the machinery, but some still remain and now we are looking forward to some fruit from our own yard!

Oh, and that rock area we created? Gone, too. Well, I guess it's all to make way for bigger and better things, so it will be worth it. Right now, my back yard is quite desolate. At least all of the weeds are gone!

Side Yard Plan

I've been really, really lacking any kind of motivation to think about or work on the yard. And, since the whole project is kind of floating in limbo at the moment what with landlords and landscapers still working out what will be done with the property, it's no wonder I have no desire to commit to any ideas right this second. Yeah, I'm feeling beaten down. BUT...I have still been daydreaming, and lately it's been about the side yard.

This is the only area that it seems we'll get to have much control over what happens, so I've developed a plan for how I want to do it. Yes, I know that at any moment plans could change and it could be covered in grass or something, but I really have high hopes for what it can become...through OUR hard work and planning.

So here is a basic plan I've drawn up for the side yard area:

I will give more details about the different areas I've drawn:

A: Flower beds, most likely full of wildflowers, some ornamental rocks/pavers, and perhaps some nice ground cover or moss:

B: A dirt or gravel path, possibly including stepping stones:

C: A "lookout" or relaxation area with a bench and possible firepit:

D: Bark, with intermittent shrubs/bushes:

E: Vegetable garden area. Will have a raised garden bed, planters, a gravel path, and some kind of fence (picket?)

F: Rocks, to make the bark borders a little less boring...maybe with some decorative grasses?: