Day one

The weather turned out to be really nice today, so while Sophia and Dylan took a super nap AT THE SAME TIME and Ethan was on a hike I decided to take on the lawn. I got out the rake and had a giant barrel for lawn refuse and decided I was good to go. In hindsight, I wish I added gloves to my supplies as my hands are killing me now. As I went around the yard I noticed that there was a lot of moss and raked up a bunch of that deciding I would reseed those areas later. Then I saw there were many pothole like dips in the lawn. I actually knew those were there already and have hated them since we moved here a few years ago. I decided that this would be the year that I did something about them. I will try and fill them in and again reseed as necessary. As I came to the back of the house, 3/4 of my barrel full of dead grass, I saw that there was no need to rake there. There really isn't any grass to speak of. Just my garden attempt from last year and a lot of dirt where grass was supposed to be. This is where I decided to take on the whole yard, not just the lawn. If grass didn't want to grow there (intense sun burns it out and we are too lazy to try and water it regularly) then I would expand my vegetable patch and turn the rest into a flourishing, fragrant, beautiful garden.
Before picture, June 2007

Ethan, his mom and Tommy arrived soon after this revelation so I took 5. I then set off to layout this garden. I got some rope and laid out my two garden patches. I made a squiggly path between the two sides careful to make sure that there was enough room for a lawn mower to pass as I knew I would need this in order to get Ethan's blessing. Once I was almost sure that I was set to go I called Ethan for his opinion (not that I would TAKE it, but wanted to have it regardless). He of course had his thoughts - why don't you straighten it out a bit? Make it 6 inches wider... Not only did he vocalize these opinions, but started to act on them which I quickly put a stop to and told him he was no longer needed here. I re-curved up the path and then borrowed the neighbor's edger (on it's last leg, so wobbly that I am afraid with each push into the dirt it will completely fall apart). After having the garden outlined with this edger, pleased with my progress, I called it a day.

Before Picture, April 2008

I forgot to take the picture before I started, so there is already evidence of my squiggle path in the makings.