Around the House

When we bought our house in 2007 this is what it looked like.

I thought it had such curb appeal and loved that slanted roof over the front entry.

This was last week.

Where's the house?

The Bradford Pears have gone crazy.  

Now, I like Bradfords, for about a week in the spring when they bloom, although for some reason our blooms don't last nearly as long as some on our street.  But they are a weak tree and only last about 20 years.  

I took this picture this year, because I knew its days were numbered.

For you see, under the tree there is no grass.  It is getting worse every year.  And the worst part is the dirt from the yard washes down to the sidewalk, and so everyone who comes to my front door has to dodge the mud on the sidewalk.

This is the other Bradford, which we kept.  It just got a serious haircut.

Bye Bye 

Why, hello house:-)

Although I will admit it was hard to watch the tree come down.  At least we have a lot of wood for fires in the backyard.

Most of the shrubs were either not favorites, or very overgrown and the grass was all weeds or dirt.

Now after a hard week of work we have this:

(we didn't do a lick of the work)

Almost all new shrubs and new sod.

A little color hanging from the tree.

  

A new bed was added by the street and it's so nice to have a little color out front.

The only work I did was to plant my 2 front pots. 

I always put ferns out front, and then spend the summer sweeping the front porch of all the little dead fern leaves.  I decided this year to try little boxwood balls and ivy.  The hope is that they will actually grow and live for more than a year.

That's one more big job off the retirement list!

But it continues...