Backyard musings

We have this small fenced area in the back, off the porch, where we can let the dogs out, and where I can sit and enjoy more of the view than I can see from the screened porch. It is also where I do my grilling, and I have a small flower garden (the purple irises, etc) there as well.

The Husband and I have been discussing enlarging the fenced area to include the bench and big flower pots (my snow measuring devices) outside the living room windows. We also hope to dig a nice big firepit just in front of the bench.

I have been doing my best to convince said husband that we also need a deck/patio where the fence is now. My goal is to move the 2 Weber grills (black circles) and the red table and chairs (red circles) up to the deck so that we don't have to mow around them. I will also find a better location for my big white sink that is between the grills. (Nobody but me feels the love for my big white cast iron sink/grill table). Friend Sue suggested hooking up water to it and making a little fountain/birdbath/pond feature somewhere. Something else to ponder.

After 3 attempts, I am getting closer to a final design for the deck. The sketch here includes my redbud tree (green circle) that we planted when it was just a big twig several years ago. It is suffering the same fate as the huge willow tree just to the right of it in the background, top photo. The willow had 3 main trunks, now just one. The V-shaped trunk on the redbud split after some storm damage and the bee-swarm event, and only one side leafed out in the spring. I had to remove half of the V, which was more than half the tree. The remaining trunk looks healthy enough to survive, but I am not sure.

And I thought I could maybe sneak in this pic of the elusive Husband playing guitar at the Eagle Street house of Tom and Roberta. I really like this pic of him, but he will probably make me take it down.

Don't tell him it's on here Barbara. ;)