Outside Before and After – Envision Wildflowers

September 10, 2010

Yesterday the “crew” completed the fencing project. My acre is now chainlinked from the front edge of the house to the back of the acre. There is a 12′ drive gate on the north side of the house and a 4′ walk gate on the south side. Eventually I will build an attached garage on the north side which will include indoor dog pens leading to outdoor runs. It’s not where my dogs will live (they’re house dogs), but it is where they will be stashed if I am doing something with which their help is not needed, if it’s muddy, or if some dogs are not getting along.

This is how the “yard” looked before the “crew” attacked it with a tractor.

It really looked this way

. . . and now

Where has all the sagebrush gone

Looking toward the back of the house.  There was a ratty privacy fence around the patio, and an awful wire dog run with a dogloo — all gone!

Back after grading 2

In late October, the crew will be back to disk about two-thirds of the acre to the back fence.  We will broadcast seeds for native wildflowers, spread straw, anchor with landscaping mesh (to make the straw stay in place).  That should hold any moisture we are lucky enough to have and, henceforth, I will look out on my personal meadow.

This weekend I am going to take the patio furniture and weave poles to the house and then paint some dark inside walls (honest, they are dark brown).  Monday the floor installer will begin laying 1600 square feet of a red oak laminate.  I’m planning to move the weekend of the 25th.

Yesterday I met my only neighbor, Edgar.  He has three or four big dogs.  He gave me one of the last pears from his little pear tree — it was a very sweet pear and a very sweet gesture.  By the way, the name of my street is Pinto.  I’d like to think as in “ponies”.


8 Comments

  1. C-Myste says:

    It’s going to be dog heaven!

    You are making really fast progress. Impressive.

    • myeye says:

      The dogs dictated the staging. No fence = no dogs. However, one doesn’t want to drive a tractor around after one fences because you might wreck the fence and not get all the brush. The painting inside should precede laying flooring. Then the floors — that’s something to do before you move furniture in. Yesterday I discovered that the prior owner had not vented his dryer. I must figure out how we create a vent on/near the wall where there is a 220 socket.

  2. Julie says:

    Wow! What privacy. I am sure you and the dogs will love it!

  3. Kim says:

    SO excited for you! You get to create your own vision of the perfect dog yard. I’m very jealous…

    You need to find some old logs and stuff for puppies to play on eventually, and dig dens under. Ours have the greatest time with the 100′ maple we took down. Natural agility course!

  4. Maryk says:

    Put the dogs out?? You’ll be lucky if you can get them to come back in from that piece of doggie heaven! And it sounds like a sweet, dog-loving neighbor, to boot! Ooh, I’m so jealous!

  5. Holly says:

    It looks, and sounds wonderful!!

  6. sandy says:

    Yeah pinto…also as in beans! You and the doggers will have so much fun!

  7. Keith & Jo says:

    Wow! I get so buried in projects it seems I can never get one totally finished before I need to take care of something else. You’re moving along great.