Sprucing up the backyard a little bit

Hi folks!  Welcome back!

We've had some gorgeous weather the past few days.  Well, until it rained today, but that's okay.

Since the man who lives in front of us threatened to kill our cat, Oscar, if he ever got on his car again, I decided I was going to move all the lawn furniture to the back yard. If we hang out in the backyard, it may discourage Oscar from going out front as much, and besides, I don't want to even see that man again. I hate just not using our front yard, but it will be nice to finally use our back yard more.

If you're new here, or maybe forgot, we live in a mobile home park. We are fortunate to live in the back corner, so we don't have anyone behind us or to one side.  Also, there is an empty lot in front of us, and a parking space between us and the trailer on the other side. So, there's no one like RIGHT next to us.

Since there is an empty lot in front of us, our front yard is a lot bigger than most lots. Folks used to walk around the trailer park with their dogs on summer evenings, and kids would be out riding their bikes, people would be BBQing, etc.  It was nice to be in the front yard and feel like part of it. Though no one ever stopped to chat with us.
From Faelyn's Graduation Party last May/June

Now with Mr Meanieface right across that empty lot, I'm ready to give up the front yard and move to the back yard.  It's funny, in my old house I dreamed of having a nice private back yard... and now that was have one we never used it!   Well, back when we moved here, we did put the gazebo canopy thing there, but it only lasted a couple more years before it died in a wind storm. We put a raised bed back there and grew tomatoes for a while.  I tried making it more welcoming.  There's outdoor lights strung in the trees. A couple of years ago, the kids' Rural Resources group installed a large raised bed garden, but we still just never used the back yard much, and none of us were good at gardening.

The bigger raised bed today, and the small one I moved next to it.  I need to get it filled too.
 The last few days, I was out there working on the yard and cleaned a lot of junk out of the old little raised bed and since it was basically no longer "raised", I had Ren help me, and we moved the frame over next to the larger garden. Then I got rid of other stuff that had piled up near the old bed and got the lawn mower out and chopped down all the grass and weeds that were there.  It made a big difference from how it used to look.  It's all level now and just fine to put the lawn chairs on. Wish I'd gotten a BEFORE photo.



Also, now there's a new shed back there near the end of the trailer by the parking spots so it gives a lot more privacy to the back yard. It'll also help with making the seating area shadier than sitting out in the front yard with the afternoon sun beating down on us. I'm hoping that by having people congregate in the back yard more, that we'll also pay more attention to the garden more as well.

The seating area I moved from front yard to backyard. Still have to move the big table and grill.


The amazing Miss Debbie from Rural Resources is due to come out this week and add more soil and compost to the raised bed to raise the level in it and till it up with her Mantis tiller.


There's still a large pile of trash that had collected in the back yard over the last couple of years and from when the mystery people came through and chopped everything down.  See in that pic above where it's really bare between the fence and the back porch?  Well until about 2 months ago, that was all bushes and trees.

At the far end, you used to never be able to see out into that empty lot and the houses on the next street.  They even cut down a huge tree.  They cut it into like firewood size logs and stacked it nearby. We still don't know who did it.  I assume it was people hired by the electric company due to power lines, but it seemed weird to cut back so much into our yard.  It's not really useable land.  It's just a bunch of dagger-like pointy stumps sticking up everywhere.  I could probably try to chop some of them out and sow some grass.  We'll see.  I'm guessing it'll just grow back all busy and overgrown again. It would probably look better.


I know our back yard is nothing special, and neither is our lawn furniture lol, but I like it.  I love having the swing there.  The top cover ripped up during that bad storm we got from one of the hurricanes that hit the Carolina coast.  It never really stopped the rain from hitting the cushion anyway, and we don't need to worry much about it shading off the sun.  Where it's sitting now against the shed in that corner, it has plenty of shade in the afternoon. Besides, without that cover over it, you can lay back on the swing and look up at the stars.  In fact the swing folds down into a swinging bed. Very nice.  Much better place for it there than out in the front yard for sure!


The cats were intrigued by the new backyard too.

Merlin



 
Oscar

And here's Leo playing in the garden



I'll post an update to the garden when we get the new soil and get it all tilled.  I don't know when we'll get the plants for it, but Rural Resources is supposed to be providing a lot of those as well. They're such an awesome organization!

I hope y'all have been able to get out and enjoy the nice weather.  Well, I hope it's nice where you are!

Patty

Comments

  1. Sorry you lost the use of the front yard. I can tell you will really enjoy your back yard this summer though. :) I like fiddling around in the yard too- I think I might buy some pansies this weekend and put them out in pots.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Erika, yeah, and it looks so bare without any lawn furniture out there. Maybe I'll get a volleyball net or something hehe. I love pansies! I'm getting some flowers this week too.

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I love getting comments, and I read every one. Thanks for coming by my site and reading my ramblings. I hope you have a wonderful day! -Patty