front yard.

Three of the six of us have Covid, so we’re hanging out at home these days, alternating between laying around lethargically and puttering in the house and yard. Today I spruced up the front porch with a good bit of help from Amie. Basically all it consisted of was moving plants and other decorative items from different spots in the house out to the porch.

It’s called “shopping our house,” and if it weren’t for the resulting barren state of other areas of our home, it would work perfectly.

 

 

David was feeling depressed about the front yard garden this winter and threatened to do away with it completely. I suggested that instead of getting rid of all eight raised beds, he clear out four and just focus on tending to two beds. He loved the idea, dismantled the beds that had rotting wood frames, planted some grass seed, and has since told me, “I had no idea gardening could feel so relaxing” (go figure, my husband is nothing if not an overachiever). He also kept the front yard blueberries and blackberries, and we have blueberries and raspberries in the back. And a very charming-looking fig that has yet to produce any fruit.

 

 

I mentioned that my friend Jeanette made a landscape design to border the house in 2021, and a year later it’s all filling in beautifully. I love walking outdoors to the smell of tea olives in the air, which is my very favorite landscape scent. She staggered the blooms on the different shrubs she chose, so we had a profusion of pale pink from our azaleas this past month, and now that they’re wrapping up, the oak-leaf hydrangeas are budding.

 

 

 

David has been hard at work relocating monkey grass from various parts of the front and back yard to finish our border, and we are feeling happy with our yard these days. We’re trying to soak in every moment outside before it becomes humid and buggy and sweltering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I plan on adding some lantana to fill out that bed above, and maybe a nice bright potted plant, like a hibiscus, next to the steps.

 

 

 

 

Kira wants to be wherever we are, so when we are out front, she’s on her long lead with us. She was 40 lbs. at her vet check up this week, and is now fully vaccinated and scheduled to be spayed at the end of the month. She’s a handful. But a very cute handful.

 

 

Gabe and Noah got rollerblades for Easter, so we’re more thankful than ever for our paved driveway, since the three younger kids have been skating multiple times a day.

 

 

 

Amie loves her newest little flock, and this week they were able to move from the basement to their (newly-reinforced) coop outside. Pictured above are Iris and Fern, a Wyandotte and Cinnamon Queen, and the other two girls, Olive and Willow are a Cinnamon Queen and a mystery breed that we think is a Plymouth Rock.

And this is where we stand with the yard in spring, 2022.

Now it’s time for me to go back to bed! Happy May!