We have truly been blessed this last year with amazing health. We are so thankful that Gino is doing so much better, then last year at this same time. With lots of prayer and hope that he would be fine, we are able to get outside and work in our yard.
We are enjoying getting our hands down in the soil and getting them dirty! We are enjoying planting and making our yard enjoyable! We are enjoying a wide array of birds that we are attracting with plants and our feeder! We are enjoying seeing frogs, spiders (we spotted an albino one yesterday) and lots of worms! We are enjoying spending time together as a family learning about all the plants and vegetables that we plant! We are enjoying the sun shine and even the few cloudy days too! We enjoy all this beauty and creation around us!
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night and night they reveal knowledge.
The have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.” – Psalm 19:1-4 (NIV)
“You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of the waves, and the turmoil of the nations. The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level it’s ridges; you soften it with showers and bless the crops. You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands of the wilderness overflow; the hills are clothed with gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; THEY SHOUT FOR JOY AND SING.”
– Psalm 65:5-13
Our backyard is coming together little by little and it doesn’t come from us, but from God.
He has made it all possible.
We are blessed and thankful for it all. Enjoy!
Looking southeast, we started with the patio. Gino power washed it, stripped it and then re-stained it. We love it.
We remodeled the plants along the back edge of the patio. We haven’t been happy with the ornamental grasses that we planted back in June 2010. So we got rid of 3 and moved 1. We also moved a bamboo and added 2 Spreading Yew’s and 2 Taxus Media Yew’s to replace the ornamental grass. So far we are both really like the new feel of the patio.
The Spreading Yew should get about 4 or 5 feet height and wide. The Taxus Media Yew’s will get 10 feet height and only about 2 or 3 feet wide.
Need more privacy when you have neighbors so close.
East end of patio.
Gino anchored the hose reel to boards placed in the ground. Make’s for not tripping over the hose all the time when it’s in use.
East end of patio.
The raised beds, Gino built himself and we already have them in use!
Our garden is bigger and hopefully we’ll get more out of it, if we keep ours eyes open for slugs!
The raised garden beds are filled with peppers, lettuce, radishes, carrots, onions, mint, basil and cilantro. We are going to try corn this year but we are going to plant it in a pot.
We got the pad (far left) poured for a shed several years ago and just haven’t had the funds to complete it. We are hoping to get that finished soon to free up much needed space in the garage.
My clematis vine is doing great this year.
Last year I purchased a bigger trellis for it and it’s really taken off!
South side of yard is mostly completed.
We are going to lay bark down around the plants along the fence.
Looking northeast.
Grass looks good this year. Didn’t get mold over the winter. Thankful for that.
This fat bumble bee was enjoying my flower in the southeast corner of the yard. It would stuff itself in the flower and then move onto the next flower. It’s legs are just loaded with pollen!
Our southern shrubs/hedge have grown a lot this past year!
I trimmed off a few of the bottom most branches to get at the moss growing underneath.
This winter we got a lot of moss growth in the bed areas.
We just planted the purple/black elderberry yesterday.
It will fill in that area nicely and the fall berries we can eat or leave for the birds!
Southwestern corner we still haven’t decided on what to do with.
I want to get a tree to block views and add some shade.
It’s been hard finding something that will work for such a small area close to the fence and neighbors house but I think I may have found just what we need. So we’ll see!
Japanese Sky Pencils that we potted in our extra large pot. I just planted snapdragons and petunia’s yesterday, to fill in the bottom with color during the summer months.
Looking north over the patio.
Looks very nice. Just need to add the seat cushions and we could have a BBQ.
If you are in the mood, go back (archives) to June/July 2010 and you can see photos of the Japanese Maple and Dwarf Spruce. They are tiny! They have both grown, the Japanese Maple has really filled out and the Spruce has gotten taller.
The north side of the yard still looks the same, weed filled and uneven. Watch your step!
We know what we want to do with it but need to remove the rock mound/dirt taking up all the space.
Last year’s garden bed is now the home of this years tomato’s, snap peas, broccoli, and onions.
