This morning I was telling Will that, while I was more than glad that the inside of the house is, if not finished, well on it's way, it is so nice to be able to focus on the yard this summer. I love being outside. I'm not outdoorsy in the "I hike every weekend and live to camp" kind of way. I like camping and the occasional stroll through the woods, don't get me wrong. But what I love is to be able to just be outside. To sit in a chair and read a book or work on the computer or just stare up at the sky.
When we first moved in the yard was big and flat, a rarity in our town, but it was also bare. Other than the beautiful cherry tree and a few dogwoods, there was nothing but an expanse of weedy grass. No flowers, no shrubs (ok, there is a holly bush, but it's more in the back instead of the side where the bulk of our yard lies) nothing. I'm not really a flower gardener at all. And to make matters worse, the flowers that I do know about are great in rain soaked Oregon or Ireland, but pretty much crap here. So it's been a steep learning curve. And I still have a long way to go.
I've been really lucky in that we have lots of gardener neighbors who have given us advice and plants aplenty and slowly, slowly, the garden is coming together. Helped, a lot, by Will who spent the last few evenings building the pergola that I've been imagining since before we moved in. We still have a few finishing touches, including getting the clematis and wisteria that I planted yesterday to grow up and over the top to provide a little shade. But for the most part, it's there. Will wants to add another section so that they stair step down over the fence which is fabulous, more places for the vines to grow. Don't tell him but I'd be happy with it as is.Tonight my book club is giving the room a run for it's money, sitting outside discussing a book that was both fascinating and long (and which I haven't finished....shhhhh) I tried to string lights over the table last night which resulted in some distinctly foul language, 4 broken bulbs and possibly a few frustrated tears. This morning Will helped me restring them before he left for work so now we are ready to thrash out the doings of the Hemming's Family and our own. Can't wait.