I strive to continue to learn things about myself.
Lately, I have learned:
The infamous 405 freeway and I DO NOT get along…I am sure the freeway has it in for me, but we are working on our long term relationship.
And:
I DISLIKE DIRT
I never realized that before, until I moved from a lushly landscaped property
to a property that has been stripped of it’s diginity.
Now bare,
it’s just plain old dirt.
Or is it?
The dirt here seems…..different…
It’s more…DIRTY!
I know….
This seems RIDICULOUS, right?
Dirt is dirt!
Except I am not a fan of it.
I just want A Little Bit Of Pretty On The Dirt Lot.
Here is a photo of the yard before it was cleared out, or what you can see of the yard:
There was so much goo and gunk under all of the overgrowth and the wild killer tomatoes.
Now that this mess is all cleaned up, the dirt gets everywhere. The pups hate it.
It sticks to all 16 of their little paws.
They are prissy little things, but I cannot blame them.
Everyday when I water down their kennel, I track mud back to the trailer.
Every morning at work I have to dust off my shoes.
It’s really no fun.
You may recall seeing these photos of the backyard after if was cleared out:
That’s A LOT of dirt
Just DIRT!
Nothing else!
16 little paws running in the dirt
My big clumsy feet tripping in the dirt
Did I mention I really don’t like dirt?
I was desperate to come up with a temporary solution, after-all, the whole yard will be gutted again when it is time to landscape.
Should I get artificial turf?
Seemed like a good idea, but a total waste of money when I am ready to landscape
How about gravel?
NO, it’s rough and scratchy and what do I do with it when I am done?
This is a shot of the yard after the clean up, but still had a lot of junk.
The previous owner was a pipe fitter on the docks.
All of those bumps and lumps under the overgrowth turned out to be old pipes and scrap wood
AND…
The old remains of the original WIDOWS WALK balcony.
Thankfully it was NOT bodies under the growth as I had feared.
It’s hard to imagine that what you see in the photos was ALL buried under a tangle of overgrowth and compost.
Rampant Tomatoes were actually growing on the concrete on top of all that.
I didn’t even know there was concrete until all the growth was cleared out.
Apparently the pipes and gadgets had some value because it was very easy to find someone to haul all of it away for free!
Back to the dirt and my options
I opted for a simple bag of grass seed
some topsoil
and a lot of hand-watering!
I am happy to report that there is a bit of grass now.
It is patchy and sparse, but at least the dirt has calmed down and there is some color in the yard for now.
I also had to bring all of my furniture and “STUFF” from my old house over.
I think my old patio furniture was shocked.
Surely, it felt embarrassed
It groaned at the idea of having to sit among such disrepair
I pleaded with it to be patient
What a difference a little grass seed
Elbow grease
And patio furniture can make!
I lounge here pretending that I still have a crystal clear pool and a perfect home.
Shhh, I hope the Queen cannot hear my thoughts.
I have a very long way to go, but for now the dirt is settling.
My urns seems happier here, they know they will play an important role in the landscaping yet to come.
The skies here are almost always a glorious blue
The ocean breeze is a joy.
I know that this bit of inconvenience will all be worth it in the end.
Birds are finally coming back into the yard.
Life is slowly trickling back into the heart of the property.
The Queen stands silently by, happy that I am doing what I can for her.
I love her and I want her to have the best.
The poor girl has been neglected for so long.
She will watch ME grow old as everyone in the past has watched HER grow old.
She has spent decades protecting those who sheltered inside her walls.
Never complaining, she has withstood the test of time.
Now, she will have someone protecting her
nurturing her
loving her.
For the last few years I have felt disconnected.
I haven’t known where I belong anymore
It’s been difficult.
Now I Know
In my heart and in my soul!
I
AM
HOME!
Thank you for joining me once again on this journey. If you missed it read about the clean-up of the yard here!
