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This year we have seen record rainfall in our area and that has no doubt played a huge part in the fact our grass is thick and lush and beautiful. I don't remember a year that the yard was so thick with grass and thriving. We struggled through droughts in the summer many a year to keep the grass as green as we liked to see it. It has always been a labor of love when it came to working in the yard.
I guess everyone has something special they love about their outdoor spaces, but for me the special parts of our yard are the trees we have planted. We have a live oak in the back yard that is named "Jeff's tree" because when he was in fifth grade, they principal handed out small sapling trees on earth day. We planted that little tree in a flower pot and it lived for several years in that pot. Finally a few years back, we put it in the ground and "Jeff's tree is a strong beautiful tree that shades the back of the house. I am very sentimental over that tree and it makes my heart sad to know we can't take it with us....I would if I could....We also have a large pine tree that we planted on the side of our house the year my daughter was born. It is easy to remember the age of that tree as it is the age of our daughter....I wish I could take that one too. The third tree is special to my heart as my husband planted it one year for my birthday. It is a Bradford pear and he planted it because he knew I loved how it blossoms in the spring with white flowers and then in the fall, the leaves are alive with wonderful colors at the end of the summer months. It is special too and I am so in hopes the new owners love these as well.
I spent many years planting flowers that would come back year after year, and most all the blooming plants in my yard attract butterflies and birds. Our backyard has always been a haven for birds, squirrels and within the last ten years, we have had the pleasure of providing a safe place for small owls to come and cool off in the hot summer months in our bird baths. I have become rather attached to all of these creatures that visit our backyard and as you can imagine, it is hard to know I am leaving them behind.
We very seldom ever see the little owls once the weather cools off, but once we had a contract on our house I did see one of the little owls, one last time. I had walked out in the back yard one evening and there sat that little owl in the bird bath. I was almost startled because this time of year, we don't see them at all....he just looked at me for a few seconds and then he was gone. In my mind....he was saying goodbye.....yea...makes me tear up just thinking about it!
Yes, lots of memories in that back yard....birthday parties, kids running in and out of the house all summer long with friends, beloved pets buried under the trees on the back fence, summer mornings spent at the clothes line hanging out clothes and sometimes, the best memories are the ones when I just got my hands dirty, creating a space of tranquility and beauty.
The new house has a fairly decent yard, but it has a long way to go before it will remind me of my home back yard. That is the flip side of all these emotions, because the planning and work that will go into the new yard does stir a lot of interest for me. It is something to look forward to in the planning and the work and knowing where the end result will take us next.....but still...the anxiety of walking in my wonderful outdoor space one last time has tears falling like the rain we have seen lately......in six days my paradise will belong to someone else.
