Cha-cha-cha-cha-changes!

Those of you that know me or followed along with me at 30-something are well aware of the fact that I HATE my backyard! Ever since we moved here it has been nothing more than a fire ant infested dog shitter! Granted, last year I added the two raised beds for a veggie garden and some herb boxes and that made me feel a little better, but this year I am on a mission to reclaim that part of our property!

We had to start with the maple, it was dying, so we finally had to suck it up and saw it down. That was hard, I've never taken down a tree in my life, seems counter-intuitive to my whole "Green Earth" vibe! But it was DYING, so we just helped it along. Now there is a well-placed trampoline where it used to be and it's great! I can see the kids from the kitchen window and know if they're playing nice or beating the crap out of each other!

Then it was time to clear out the nasty ligustrums. I have always disliked these particular bushes and dreamt of replacing them with a lovely yellow jasmine vine or a Rose of Sharon. This should happen within the next week or so! Here I am getting all "She-Rah Princess of Power" on these damn things!
After clearing out the tree and the bushes it was time to build two new raised beds and layout where the other two will be. When it's all said and done, I will have four 8' x 4' beds teeming with luscious organic veggies! Neener, neener, neener! (And no little comments from Auntie J over at "With Guidance from Gaia" or Redneck Mother, who have like mondo gardens AND chicken coops, ya big show offs!) ;)

Although making a raised bed is pretty simple, all you need is some landscape timbers, re-bar and a drill, filling it with dirt is another story! A super generous friend took the time to dump some heavenly black earth onto my driveway, but alas... I had to get it to the backyard! Luckily, I have homeschooled tweenagers that live next door and a very helpful Monkey Man who were most willing to help with my dilemma! Hooray for child labor! Seriously, those kids were kicking my butt! If only I felt half that energetic at any given time! But with the four of us, we busted it out in an hour flat. We so ROCK!

Workin' hard!

Taking pride in a job well done!

There's still LOADS to do, but things are now moving in the right direction. I had to clear out the old to make room for more beautiful and productive things! Eventually I hope to have an entire bed under the kitchen window for herbs and edible flowers and even a tree or two, and maybe, just maybe a decent fence at some point! I'm keepin' my fingers crossed!