Everything's Coming up (Roses)!

Last year was pretty horrible and stressful. I was in survival mode for months at a time and taking care of the bare minimum. The yard did not make the list last year. It has been a mild winter and a beautiful start to spring (I still worry about snow and ice and general cold, though). Frank and I spent hours yesterday and today cleaning out the dead plants from the flower beds and raking leaves from beneath the shrubs. I didn't do these chores last year and you can tell. But the work that we did this weekend made a huge difference in the appearance of the yard already and I know that it will just look better and better as my perennials find room to grow thanks to the removal of all the dead foliage.

I have projects planned for the yard for the first time in years. I really want an outdoor dining room like one I saw years ago - a table under the tree with a chandelier filled with candles. I think I will put in a small patio area by the back gate which will give us a space for the grill and it will solve the problem of the bare dirt area where the dog stands to be let in.

When other parts of your life are springing eternal it is easy to see the regenerative abilities everywhere. Yards are kind of a natural in that way.