In Which a Post is Not About Nursing School

I took a mental health day this past Saturday and gave myself permission to do some much-needed yardwork.

Two weeks ago, we bought quite a few plants at a garden expo, but most of them have been sitting around, dying bit by bit because I've been too busy to plant them.

We also finally got the first half of the weed pit cleared! Evan made a fire that burned for about 7 hours, and with his trusty machete cleared all the jungle weeds away. It looks so crazy-different that we can't stop gawking at it.

Now the picture show begins. I didn't take explicit "before" photos, stupidly, but I have a couple that will get pretty close.

Exhibit 1: The Weed Pit (or as I like to think of it, the Sarlacc Pit.)

If you look past the end of the deck, all that mess is the "before." 

And now, the after! A clear view into the neighbor's yard. 

Exhibit 2: The Water-Logged Spot

What I thought was a before picture turned out to be a video clip. Oh well! it was weedy and dank before, how about that? 

Exhibit 3: The Deck

We're planning to build a corner trellis/pagoda on this end of the deck. The confederate jasmine will eventually cover it, we hope, and provide some nice shade. Soon there will be lattice covering the junk, too. 

Exhibit 4: The Front Flower Bed

The first of several incarnations. 

Current. Notice how the lantana has eaten most of the bed. That will be moved in the spring. 

Lining the walkway we have nandina, 24 dianthus/violas, and underneath waiting for spring about 3 dozen bulbs. 

And for the remaining photos:

I love violas almost to a fault.

Black tupelo tree, turning a beautiful purplish-red. 

Beginnings of our vegetable garden, currently hosting chocolate mint, creeping rosemary, and Provence lavender. Oh, and Monty. 

Finally, the view-from-the-road before and after pictures. 

Before.

Four months in.