Hidden Treasures

While working on the yard and shed, we've managed to get quite a lot of clean-up done by bobcat. The perimeter of our yard is bordered by the ugliest, cheapest fence on which I've ever laid eyes. I only know this from close inspection, though, because that fence hosts innumerable, tenacious native weeds and can scarcely be seen beneath them . Many of those weeds have been uprooted by the bobcat, but there is much remaining to conquer.

Staring out at my nearly-completed shed and freshly graded and seeded yard I noticed there were mighty weeds already leaping up through the hay and pine straw. Irked, I wandered out, totally unprepared for a morning of sweaty, muddy yard work and began to tug at the interlopers. I don't know what these things are called, but they grow very tall with a full, bright green, leafy plumage and when you attempt to pull them out they break off, leaving their root safely intact. Not willing to admit defeat I reached for my trusty shovel and began to dig at the little bastards. It was then that I noticed two significant things. First, the roots of these plants are huge, deep, fibrous and difficult to dislodge. Very annoying. Second, as if the universe felt I needed a consolation prize, I discovered that the yard is covered with flagstones. We plan to put a flagstone patio off the back of the shed which is now open for covered grilling, see example on page here) and I had been saddened by the thought of purchasing these rocks, then hauling them to the house. What, ho? No need! Just a few inches down, and occasionally piled two pavers deep, more than enough to create our patio. I ended up spending the next hour digging away and throwing the rocks in a pile (and all the worms I found in our worm bin). The picture here was taken before I went back a second time this morning and found at least twice as many as the time before, and I'm nowhere near finished. Oh, joy!

Next up, the clean-up has granted us easy access to the piles of honeysuckle growing on the awful fence. I know it's an invasive that strangles trees to death, but no one's perfect...I love honeysuckle. I would write to it in prison. Kate shares my love. Kate loves flowers in general. Since opening up the yard enough to put the honeysuckle in view, I've had a hard time keeping her from walking through the mud to pluck it off its vine and suck its nectar from the tiny white flowers. Tonight she was wandering all over our mud-yard in search of other flowers. That's when she, my 4-year-old, noticed something we've missed in our nearly 4 years at this house - there is a gigantic rose bush, nay, tree, in our back yard. It brought forth roses! They smell divine and appear shockingly healthy.

We still have so much clean-up to do back there that I'm officially excited to see what other little treasures (besides about a year's worth of dog poop) are residing just behind the walls of English ivy.