An Ode to My Back Yard

The backyard at Sassafras House is lush and green, overgrown, really, but I rather like it that way.  Though I have lived away from California for years, that state and my hometown in the arid Central Valley is my default setting of what a landscape should look like.  A yard like this feels exotic and wonderful to me.

There is a garden behind the garage.  These days, it’s a small patch with tomatoes, basil, and zinnias, looking quite hazy in this morning’s fog.

The plot back there is capable of being quite large.  This spring, I lacked the time to properly set up the whole patch because I was busy getting ready for T to move in.  But underneath the overgrown ivy are roses and hostas (always the hostas with me) and this Fall, with T moved in, I really hope there will be time to clean out the whole patch, add some Spring-blooming bulbs, fertilize it in the Winter, and plant a huge garden come the Spring.  Until then, I’m pleased with what I have.  There are some canna bulbs getting after a showy display, my turtle garden marker, the sprinkler ready for action as the heat builds.  I visit the patch daily, to check on the progress of my growing plants.

Though my apple and pear trees invariably surrender their harvest to the squirrels, the peach tree alongside the fairy garden may bring me a crop this year.  I very much hope so because I can nearly taste the peach ice cream this fruit might could flavor in a few weeks.  I’m excited about the potential but, like any sensible gardener, resigned to an outcome that is less than ideal.

I like a garden and yard that are works in progress, as this one always is.  For all its imperfections, it’s a lovely corner of my world.  Between the red oak and the dogwood, there are branches soaring high in the blue sky.

We sit on the back deck under the shade of these trees and enjoy the chitter of the squirrels as they try to help themselves to the bird feeder and peaches and then sleep off their food coma in the dogwood tree.  I welcome the cardinals, goldfinches, and robins that visit here.  Come the evening, I glory in the lightening bugs that light up the dark corners.

The backyard feels like home and that’s very happy.

June 1: Fairy Garden

The fairies have settled in for the Summer. There is both shade and sunshine  to be found in this corner.  This little garden can be seen from the stairwell landing window when I comes downstairs each morning.  In the early light of sunrise, it feels magical.

At twilight, some of the houses have solar lights that twinkle on and this is equally as thrilling to me.

There is something about this little patch of imagination that quite thrills me.  As the season unfolds, the peaches will ripen and clematis flowers will bloom.   I’m looking forward to enjoying every bit of it.

Fairy Garden

Last week, I set up the fairy garden for the warm weather season.  There’s a patch of garden along the fence and under the peach tree that is a perfect spot for my collection of houses and fairy things ——  there's a pennant, a garden shed, a chicken coop, a wheelbarrow, a grill, and more.  I may have a problem.

The clematis is getting ready to bloom.

This imaginary land and its many clever details brings me such happiness.  There will be points this summer when I will pull out a chair and sit in the shade to read and admire this miniature collection.

That’s happy!

Headin' Out to the Back Deck

My back deck is the back yard equivalent of the front porch, an alternately sunny and shady place to relax and enjoy the outdoors.  We spend a lot of time out here in the warmer months.  But over the last few years, the large back deck has been in need of some TLC.  In mid-April, the back deck was power-washed and repaired, in preparation for staining and sealing.

Then it rained and rained and rained so it was several weeks before the job was completed.  Finally, there were enough sunny days to stain and seal the deck.

Now it’s done and the results are lovely.  The deck is back in business as relaxation central and it’s more welcoming than ever.

The months ahead will see a lot of lazy days spent out here.

That’s happy!

One More Scene of Winter

Last Tuesday’s snow forecast originally called for nearly two feet of snow.  We didn’t receive that much snow, but there were about 10 inches in my corner of the world and that was plenty enough for me.  It was a dense, wet snow packed down by sleet.  JT and I stayed inside until the storm was over.  Outside, one of the squirrels that lives in my yard hunkered down in the dogwood tree.

The backyard squirrels love this tree.  On sunny days, they chase one another up and down its trunk.  But last Tuesday was not a day for playing games.  Squirrels and humans tucked in for the storm, which is likely to be our last storm of the Winter.  Soon enough, the squirrels will scamper around the green lawn.  I’m looking forward to it!

December 1st: Peach Tree

As our warm November came to a close, cold weather crept in.  Even so, the peach tree stubbornly held on to the last of its leaves, seemingly reluctant to admit that Winter is coming.

Last night, a rainstorm blew in and all of the peach tree leaves are gone.  The tree is stark and plain, guarding its corner and ready for Winter.  The days are getting shorter by the minute and the impulse to seek cover and rest grows stronger for me as well.  So I tuck under my down comforter as the tree holds its own in the corner of the yard.

Let the Post-Season Begin

As the end of the MLB regular season approached, the St. Louis Cardinals, JT’s team of choice, were neck-in-neck with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the race to command the National League Central.  On Saturday afternoon, a lovely cardinal bird landed in my back yard.  It seemed like a good omen to me and by the end of the next day, the Cardinals did in fact win the division.  Playoff baseball begins this week.  We’re ready.