Six Years in the Making
Six years ago (May 25, 2020) we saw our house for the first time. The left image is the photo I made that day, before we owned it, and the right image is one I made today from the same perspective. I took photos of the back yard as well, and recreated those photos again six years to the date to see how much as changed.
We replaced the old fence that was barely standing up straight. The back yard is no longer random ferns and weeds, but rather a curated mix of native plants and other flowers. The grass in the front yard was completely replaced by a hand-picked jungle of various perennials, annuals, and evergreens built up off the sidewalk with old railroad ties. The sagging deck that came with the house was replaced by a much smaller, more sensibly-sized one. We have a dedicated raised bed for herbs and spices that we pull from for recipes. We have so much more life in this yard now that it brings in birds, bees, and butterflies, and though it’s been a long process, Myrtle finally has a little corner of the world with her own grass that doesn’t come up in clumps every time she chases her ball.
I love living in this verdant collection of plants and flowers every day. It took a LOT of work and time, but it feels good to be able to enjoy it without feeling the need to do more.