What Ana Does

Let's overthink my lawn for a post, shall we? Leah Mowing Like a Pro While we were in Paris, my Mother moved into my house (temporarily, as it turns out), fired my lawn guy, bought a gas-powered mower and was planning to take care of the landscaping herself. She enjoys it. But circumstances took her to Florida and now I'm left with no lawn guys and long grass. No big deal, really. But it started me thinking about lawns. Then I read this article  that summed up the environmental issues of our lawn obsession. We, as a nation, over-water, over-fertilize and over-mow our lawns. And it's having a negative effect on our environment. While, yes, there are absolute positives for having a lawn and taking care of it, we're often doing way too much . Sure, grass is a plant and pulls a little carbon from the air, and is way better than paving or anything else, BUT it's doesn't need to look perfect all the time. I live in the midwest, so I only need to worry a...

Exhibit A: The Tomato Plants I am a very lazy gardener. I've said it before and I'll say it again. But here's the thing ... you don't have to be in your garden every day pulling out weeds and looking for slugs for it to work. It's so friggin' easy to grow food in your backyard, it's not even a joke. A friend came over the other day as I was pulling peppers to eat with our dinner and she made a big deal about it, "where do you find the time?!" What time? Sure, if you're a farmer and your livelihood depends on how much you grow, you're going to work your butt off to make sure each plant yields the most fruit/veg. This is not my full-time job. And barely a hobby. Here's my time commitment: I spend a Spring afternoon getting the beds ready. Another morning tossing whatever I find/have/want into those beds. Not even a full day. Then, when I notice it hasn't rained in a while, I walk outside and turn on the hose for 15 minutes...

We're now calling it SUPER DECK because it's so much grander than we thought it would be. Though, it's exactly how we plotted it out. The pergola came out perfectly and we were just so delighted to walk out this this morning to call in the dogs for breakfast. Of course, it's going to be chilly, rainy and overcast through the weekend, so we're not sure how soon we'll be able to enjoy it! Still, it's there. Waiting for the summer days. It is slightly HIGHER than I envisioned, so there's some discussion about adding a step down the to backyard in the near future. We're having a bunch of people over to the house this weekend, so we'll take an informal poll. Super Deck is Super Awesome! This is our largest construction job that we've done so far, so we learned a bit about inspections and being patient and how weather can change a schedule. But, it's all worth it in the end. PS. The contractor we worked with is going to submit an e...

This weekend, Dave and I spent Sunday morning trimming everything that was out of control in the backyard. Even after three hours, we only just made a dent in the madness -- but we created a HUGE pile of twigs and roots. Accomplished!  Despite a bruised knuckle, it was well worth it to see this back landscaped area cleaned up. Related posts: More "backyard" news

First, I know from past experience (and HGTV) that a contractor will tell you "three days" in an estimate and go well past that once he gets started. It's the same thing when you tell a potential employer your current salary and add 10%. We all KNOW you do it. Keeping that in mind, we're about half-way there. We had some holdups with the city and permitting, then weather, and then turkey hunting season. Yes, my deck builder left yesterday to hunt wild turkeys -- because I live in the midwest!! Regardless, the stairs were demoed and the holes have been planned. It all comes together next week. Holes on Monday (which need to be inspected by my town), supports are built (also need to be inspected) then, finally, the decking can get into place. With any luck, we'll be done by Saturday!!

As you stare at this BEFORE picture, let's remember it's early spring and it's been raining for the last six days. Also, please notice the crumbling brick stairs and sinking pavers.

For the last week we've been meeting with contractors -- pulled from various sources -- to talk about the deck project. I work with vendors (albeit code and design vendors) at work, so I'm pretty comfortable with this part of the process. Here's the secret to hiring out work: Be clear about your project and then LISTEN when they explain it back to you. If they are picking up on what you're going for, that's your guy. If they are way off or pushing you into a directions that you're not comfortable with, they're not worth working with. You'll spend way too much time explaining your point of view and won't be happy with what you get. Sure, hearing their recommendations as the experts is important. But, I'm the type of person who generally knows exactly what I want. Especially on this deck that I've been envisioning for the last three years. Overall, the deck design is super simple: A large rectangle that's low enough to the ground that...

Taking advantage of one of the last good weekends before the cold weather blows in, I finally got down and dirty with the front garden. I've been feeling bad about our low curb appeal. There's a house for sale just two doors down and if prospective buyers are looking for this sort of thing, they're definitely not thinking too highly of the neighborhood. My goal is to make this garden smaller by adding these paving stones from Home Depot. As it is, it's too much upkeep for me right now. So, for about $30, I loaded the trunk with pavers and dedicated about an hour to cleaning it up. Before: A Hot Mess and Stanley the Scarecrow It's a good start. I want to add more pavers -- maybe even a third layer. And I'm definitely going to need more mums and choose a few perennials along the back. Plus, Stanley needs a scarf or maybe some clothes.  After: All Cleaned Up The dirt along the front is getting seeded on Monday. I took about a quarter off the gar...

This is the time of year that the Black-Eyed Susans remind me what part of the yard belongs to them. And to prove it, they double in population each year. A few years ago, this patch was just a few plants I moved over from the other side of the yard. But it doesn't take long for this wildflower and spread out. (There's a little pine tree in there somewhere.) Being the generous/lazy gardner that I am, I'm going to allow this. Go to it, girls. The Black Eyed Susans Are Such Showoffs The best part about these little sunflowers: their long blooming season. They'll be around into the fall. 

The landscapers came and cleared out all the weeds around the raised beds ... all in under four hours. Hooray! I've got some plans to drop in a few hydrangea bushes under the windows and maybe something nice-smelling near the door. But didn't want to attempt in the middle of the summer. I learned that lesson the hard way. Until then, now that I can actually get to my raised beds without a machete to clear a path through the weeds, maybe I'll consider planting a late-summer crop. Squash? Pumpkins? Related links: More BACKYARD posts

I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but the area around my two raised beds turned into a jungle of weeds. Some, as tall as me! Maybe it was all the rain we've had, my total lack of interest in pulling the weeds when they were a reasonable size, the failure of the weed guard lining I put down last year, and not getting the mulch down as planned. Ok, so I know how it happened. I should also point out I only planted half the raised beds this summer. Sigh. And the cucumber vines are harassing the tomato plants, but more on that later. Anyway, what we ended up with is a freaking disaster! And breeding ground for mosquitos and other pesky insects. Can you even spot the two raised beds through this tangled mess? Before: Overgrown Weeds and Raised Beds  Never fear! I called in my landscape guy and he's sending a crew this week to clean up the weeds, put down a better weed guard and mulch. All hail contracting out tedious work! After picture coming soon .... ...

What am I up to today? A Trunk Full of Flowers - And Top Soil The Veggie Beds Are a Total Disaster Already Behind on Seed Planting -- Now, Where to Begin? Related posts: Other random weekend stories

Love to see lilacs in bloom! Lilac Hedge Near the School Bus Stop I will stealthily cut a few of these so I can have them on my kitchen table. 

There are several issues with the backyard and now that it's warm enough to get outside I can't ignore them anymore. It's now about prioritizing the issues and finding someone to help me with them.  First, the area around the raised beds need to be tackled. Mostly, a weed guard needs to be laid down and wood chips need to be filled in on top. Currently it's a bit of a wreck. Also, we all need to keep our fingers crossed that the hydrangea will come back under the dining room windows. Then, there are the steps to the back door. The bricks fell apart over the winter starting with just a few. Now, it's just about the whole step. The adhesive only works at temps above 60 and dry. And we haven't had a warm enough weekend to even contemplate the project. As of this weekend, the weather is starting to feel spring-like. So, maybe soon we can start those repairs.  Alice Models the Broken Stairs - And First Day in Shorts! What a mess! Off to find...

... Well, likely past the time to order seeds. But I'm a direct-sow kinda girl so anytime before Mother's Day is a good time. Hoping to get the radishes and lettuce out soon -- as I'm told they can go in after the snow melts. We'll hit the garden center in May for all the baby plants, too. I usually get tomatoes and peppers this way. And I'm thinking of experimenting with peppermint -- in a pot on the patio, of course. Starting to really think Spring here!

Seriously, I threw around some dirt in the garden, dropped in some seeds and checked on water conditions occasionally. I might have weeded the garden four times all year. And STILL this was Sunday morning's pickings.... Salad Anyone? So anyone who thinks they need to have an agriculture degree to grow veggies in their background is seriously nuts. 

Today was a busy-in-the-kitchen day. I'm being a happy homemaker! There was instant oatmeal to make -- because that stuff in the packet is just a waste of money. Oats are cheep, folks. Eat them.  Then, I pickled a few of the cucumbers from the garden -- for MY FIRST CANNING project. Ever!  Messy Start! Turned in this... Pickles! Which, Honestly, I Don't Like .... But Dave Does! Then, it was jammin' time. I can't eat all the fruit we get weekly from the CSA. So, for my first food-in-jar project I made apricot and rosemary jam.  Let's just say it was a big learning experience. But overall, wasn't as hard as I thought.  Yummy Apricots and Fresh Rosemary Turned into this... Pretty Jars - Ready for Toast or Roast Chicken! Last, homemade cereal bars to pack in lunches and pre-soccer-practice snack bags. They're my go-to recipe that I'm just starting to master from Alana's cookbook.  I had planned to make spelt ...

Lots of pretty things are in bloom in my backyard. Most notably the hibiscus that I didn't have high-hopes for. It was cut back to nothing at the beginning of the Spring -- and now, looky there! First big bloom and little buds with more on the way. HELLO Hibiscus! Transplanted Black-Eyed Susans are Happy This Crazy/Pretty Weed that's Everywhere this Year. Kinda Looks Like Yarrow. I've cut some blooms for my vases. Tomatos! 

Right outside my screen door to the backyard there is a long-neglected space I'm committed to cleaning up ... next year. It's got some unruly rose bushes and weeds galore. This year, something surprising popped up.  As I've mentioned, I'm in the habit of throwing produce out into my backyard, especially in Fall and Winter. Well, as a by-product of that weird habit, I now have a pumpkin or squash plant sprouting in that spot I dumped last year's Halloween gourds. How fun! The Plant Outside My Door

Our backyard is a riot of color right now. I guess all our cool nights and the weeks of rain has some advantages. Asiatic Lilies Are GORGEOUS. And They Aren't Around Long Sweet Little Pansies Coreopsis That Comes Back, No Matter How Much I Abuse It My Newest Addition to the Yard - Hydrangea!