And the livin's easy...

I normally don't post a lot of pictures and not a lot of words to my blog but today may be my exception.  For the last few weeks my roommate and I have been trying to make our house an even better home by overhauling the backyard.  For any of you who live in a rowhouse, you know what a challenge this can be.  At max, your yard is about 8 feet wide, and if you're lucky you get about 20-25 feet of depth.  Many of these old rowhouses have porches and garages and weirdly shaped additions and trying to make the yard into something functional can be a challenge.  Plus, the dog thinks this part of the house is entirely hers.  Down to the bees.

I was told a few years ago (although I couldn't tell you by whom because my brain just isn't as functional as it once was) that the small, charming backyards of city rowhouses are really all you ever need.  This person reminded me that even when you have acres and acres of land, you find you spend all your time in one small section of the yard.  I think this person might have been trying to make me feel better (because I sure remember using every inch of those acres growing up).  But there is something special about these backyards.  Small fences divide our homes and we truly share our yards with the entire block.  We see each other at six am with our morning coffee and at midnight with our wine glasses.  We know what each other's dogs sound like and we pay attention when things move or furniture is rearranged.  I know this would drive some people crazy, but I kind of love it.  Just another charm for me.

Plus, Cara and I are lucky.  We have gardeners next door.  In fact, our neighbors on our left have lived in their house for almost 65 years and have been gardening everyday since they moved in.

Talk about competition.  Every day I find something new blooming in their yard and they've already got the biggest tomatoes I've seen yet in anyone's garden.  Our little puny clover grass and concrete walkway was making me depressed every time I went onto our deck.  I begged the wife (aka my roommate) to do something about it and one morning she handed me a hand-drafted plan of our new backyard.  It would require a lot of building and releveling of the soil and pulling out of the existing grass, but she assured me that for under $300, I could have a yard I'd actually want to spend time in.

And she was right.  And on budget.  And I think we've done a great job as newbies.  I'm slowly finding my green thumb and Cara has been able to release her inner lumberjack.  Lacking 65 years of practice and despite the fact that we're mere renters (so we don't want to sink any real cash into this DIY project), I think we've done a splendid job.  Also, did I mention how great it is to live with a real-live handy-woman?  I mean, this girl is amazing.  If I were a lesbian, I'd so marry this woman.  Hell, I might marry her anyway.

Check out our her project (I'd like to claim more of it, but it just wouldn't be right):

Step one:  Beg, plead, and bribe roommate to build you raised beds for your flowers, herbs, and vegetables.  Fill with organic garden soil and bat guano (from Dr. Earth) and plant the shit out of those flowers, herbs, and veggies.

Step two:  Ask roommate to frame patio square and level the ground and soil.  Remember to ask sweetly and offer to make sausage biscuits.

Step three:  Ask roommate to put down gravel and sand and level it all with this handmade rake (and again, remember to offer to make cocktails and dinner).

Step four:  Sunbathe on the deck while this all goes down.  Don't forget sunscreen!  Try not to look guilty when Cara comes up for a break sweating and dying of thirst.

Step five:  Figure out how to convince the dog that the new hole for the patio isn't a sandbox, litterbox for the alley cats, OR a mini-beach (warning: this step involves bribes and treats)

Step six:  Lay pavers, fill with sand, and layer the mulch.

Step seven: Plant rose bush for good luck.

Step eight:  Invite over friends for a BBQ and make sure the patio is dance-proof.  Play James Brown.  Serve corn.  (Yet to be completed).

First major DIY project of the summer: COMPLETE.  Just in time to sit outside and sip mint juleps.  Thanks, wife. 

And no, you can't have her.