OUR FOREVER HOME

Too bad we don't have any original pictures of this yard. It started off with indoor carpeting covering it. (Yes, they laid indoor carpet throughout the backyard.) There was rotting wood on walkways and overgrown bushes, some of which had grown into trees. Over the years since 2005, when we bought it, we have gradually made improvements. Here is the story.

We had a bit of extra money a few months after moving here. We decided to replace the patio that was structurally unsound. It got a new metal roof and solid upright posts. The slope was pointed away from the house. (Yes, the original patio roof was sloped toward the house.) It was a tremendous improvement that made the patio usable. Since our marriage, Kathy has wanted a spa. With the new patio covered, a spa was tucked just around the corner. 

Fairy gardens started showing up. Alice in Wonderland scenes were by the fence. Every time Kathy found a little extra money, something new appeared in the backyard. Well, then there was the deal we struck that whenever I spent on cars, she could spend an equal amount on her yard.

Kathy once bought a little plastic pond enclosure at the hardware store to go under a tree in our backyard. She asked Adam to dig a hole and get it level. She then went into the house. A few hours later, she came out to see two more sons and a 4’ deep hole that was 10’ across. Adam said, “Mom, you want a real pond.” He and his brothers put in the liner and lined it with rocks, and we got a pump and filter system for it. And we had "a real pond". We went to the pet store to buy a few 3" koi. They looked lost in the big pond. But they grew and had babies. We ultimately ended up with some 30" koi and over 30 koi who had been born in the pond. Cleaning the filter system was difficult. Six different filters had to be removed and washed out individually. As we aged, this steadily became more difficult. One day, Adam, who is in the pool business, had a client who wanted a new pump and filter system for his pool. His old system only needed a gasket to work fine, but he insisted on a new system. Adam then called Kathy and asked if she wanted a pool sized filter system for her pond. Of course, she said yes, and it was installed. The pond was crystal clear, where it had always been clouded and green. At a family dinner a few months later, Adam noted that the new filter system could handle a bigger pond. Was she interested? What could she say but yes? So, a second pond was added. 

A friend called us and asked if we wanted a turtle for our pond. They had adopted a small turtle who showed up in their yard. He had lived in an aquarium for years but had now outgrown his home. They wanted to know if Roscoe could move to our pond. They brought Roscoe over and set him alongside the pond. He looked like he had just discovered heaven and dove into the pond where he has lived since. Later, another friend moved from Fresno to a place with freezing winters. She had two turtles that would not fit in there. So we adopted again. We started having baby turtles—lots of them. We finally had to move our only male to another home. (Roscoe turned out to be a she.) We may have to do that again when the babies reach maturity and we discover more boys. 

Kathy has started a "birdhouse garden." Every time we went vacationing, she brought a birdhouse home as a memoir. We now have more than 30 birdhouses around the backyard. And the birdhouse garden has grown into a birdhouse yard.

Kathy has always loved outdoor gardening. It is relaxing for her to work with Mother Earth. However, as we have aged, it has become more difficult for her to bend down and dig in the garden. So, for one Christmas, we bought a raised bed garden high enough for her to garden from her seat. We have since added a second raised bed. And Kathy is in heaven, sitting and digging. 

I know this isn't the end of the story for our backyard. Kathy always has ideas for new creations. But since I'm out of the car game now she can't count on car money to fund her projects.