Another Backyard Makeover

Last week, we had the two big Japanese blueberry trees in our backyard removed.  These trees were beautiful, with green glossy foliage that turns orange in late fall.  During the summer, the trees are covered with tiny white fragrant blooms.  Their best attribute was that they blocked the views of our neighbors’ homes and turned our backyard into a secluded oasis.   However, it turns out that these trees were totally inappropriate for a tract-home backyard, growing to 30-60 feet tall and 20-30 feet wide.  Jim, our gardener suggested that we take them down while both the trees and the cost were still relatively small.  Presently, the loss of privacy is a bit disconcerting, but in the long run, we know it was the right thing to do.  Now, we have a wonderful opportunity to redesign our outdoor space with new trees, flowers, and vegetables.  We’ve had so much fun gardening and tending to our “crops” this summer and it has been nice to harvest fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes and jalapeños.  Perhaps our  “victory garden” can expand to include lettuces, onions, artichokes, carrots, and potatoes.  Any other crop suggestions?

Check out the before and after photos:

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looking out

Looking Out

Over 6-1/2 years ago, when I first saw our house, it had four bedrooms. One of the bedrooms was located off a hallway in between the steps down from the dining room and the master suite.  I remember walking into that hallway and into the fourth bedroom and telling Chris that if I owned the house, I’d knock down the wall of that room and make it a den or family room.   Chris gave me his signature look that says “you’re crazy!”  Well, as you may know, we did buy the house and eventually knocked down the wall.  The bedroom is now our den and it is spacious and bright with a nice view that looks out to the back yard.  We probably spend most of our time in that room.  We might only have a three-bedroom house now, but we gained a comfortable space to relax.

I’ve sat in the den countless times, but this morning, it really struck me that I have achieved the view I had envisioned six years ago and I just love it!

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