Learning to embrace the giant pole that graces our view. Funny how poles and lines are cool in photos until they also happen to be in your front yard.
Coming to peace with the fact that there is no spring this year, only winter and summer and a lot of rain (still not at peace with the clouds – this is not Portland). 45 degrees last week, 87 today. Will we have fall? We’ll see. Hurray, climate change.
Kind of accepting the kitchen the way it is – full of tools, dust, tools, debris, old walls, trim-less windows and doors (something I can actually take credit for), splintery wood, the beginning of a laundry chase, and one large stainless steel fridge, dressed in a canvas mumu to keep the dust off her. The tools and debris and dust are signs of progress, right? Right??!?
Dealing with the jungle outside also known as the back and front yards. There are so many plants. And every single one of them has grown expect the handful we actually bought and planted and made nice beds and pots for and lovingly watered and even fertilized. Learning to laugh at all that.
Speaking of yards, you’re probably wondering about my approach to landscaping. Pulling things out of the ground with semi-reckless abandon! Seriously though. I’ve identified a few plants (not, like, identified them in the Field Guide to Eastern Massachusetts Plants, more like, I can point them out when I see them) that can no longer be in our yard. Some are definite weeds, like the dandelions. Others, they may be nice plants that haven’t bloomed yet or the beginnings of new trees from the neighbor’s giant, seed-happy tree that blows its babies everywhere. I don’t know. I can’t care. The yard was so overwhelming I had to just make a decision and start pulling out and trimming a few things consistently to create some kind of order. Do not worry, there are still plenty of plants left. But the ones that seem to pop up everywhere, no rhyme or reason, are gone. For now. The tall one with a thick reddish stalk that grows everywhere, from shade to sun, and climbs its way out of the hedge – it’s gone. The giant grass-like thing that pulls out of the soil really easily? It’s in the lawn bags.
As for the “lawn,” we did what every American does on a Saturday morning in spring and bought and assembled a lawnmower! Homeownership, you guys. Then we took turns mowing the yard, cutting down a mix of grass, white flowery things, some kind of ground cover, and weeds. All while drinking PBR.
Deep Eaves & Empty Pockets 