Weekend Warriors

Mom and Dad C. came to visit us this weekend. They drove the pickup down so they could help us landscape our yard. When we moved in last year, our yard was a disaster. It hadn't been watered in months and was overrun with weeds. We worked hard to get it looking better throughout the year, but one ugly remnant remained. The parking strip (you know... that little strip of ground between the sidewalk and the road) was full of old bark and overgrown with weeds. 

For a long time, we couldn't decide what to do with it. We don't have a sprinkler system, so we decided that traditional grass wouldn't work very well unless I wanted to be out there with a hose for an hour a day trying to get it to grow. When my dad said he would bring his pickup down, we knew this was our chance. We decided to go with xeriscaping (i.e. doesn't need water). We ripped out all of the old bark and weeds and replaced it with 3 pickup loads of grayish river rock. It was a lot of work shoveling rocks all morning, but Dad and Jonathon were up for the challenge. Then we got 5 large decorative rocks and spaced them throughout the strip. It may not seem like a lot, but I feel like it made a big difference in the overall look of our home. It looks clean, simple, and like someone cares about it! Thanks for all of your help, Mom and Dad. We couldn't have done it without you!

BEFORE: 

It's not terribly obvious, but if you look closely, you can see the old bark and weeds. (We at least tried to spray them with Roundup occasionally to keep them from getting too out of control.)

AFTER: 

It's hard to get a picture because it is 100 feet from one end of the yard to the other, but here is the after with the decorative rocks. Next Spring, I am hoping to put 3 planter boxes of flowers between the rocks to add some color. Until then, at least it is a big improvement. 

The boys informed us that the rocks were perfect for standing and sitting on. They even named them: Stairy, Ice Cream, Iron Rock, Wingy, and Thomas. Haha... Love those boys!

The neighbors seem to approve. We received several compliments on our work. It is still a bit funny for us living in a subdivision because everyone drives by slowly and watches everything you do with your house and yard. Then they comment about it at church on Sunday. We are used to farm life (no one lives within a 1/2 mile of you and the number of cars is very limited) or New York life (everyone avoids making eye contact and just minds their own business). It is an interesting adjustment, but at least they seem to like it :)