2 months and counting

Two months from now, the back yard's going to have a bazillion people whose folding chairs are sinking towards China. No one needs to worry, we have a couple of plan B's in our pocket. One is leaving the keys in the front door with a note saying "have fun, love mom and dad". Another involves loads of green painted plywood.
Actually the back yard looks pretty good. there is no standing water and the weather forecast is for just a little snow. Everything except one bush seems to have survived the winter. The deer find the hosta just as tasty as last year. The early spring flowers are out and the trees are flowering. in a week or two the back yard might be dry enough to mow.

Turf grass and the enemy

There was a time when I didn't care about dandelions. I didn't even have an opinion regarding the species. In fact part of my ancestral DNA told me I was supposed to make salad with them. When we lived in Chicago, we would see people picking dandelions in the forest preserves. I would wonder what part of my ancestral heritage was I was missing out on by not picking these weeds. But then again, if rabbits eat them, are they really people food. I'd rather eat the rabbit. That part of my cultural heritage Uncle Harold made sure I was acquainted with, that and pickled herring.
Enough with the history lesson, I now view dandelions with a clear eye. They are the scourge of yard. The mantra of the darliks from Dr. Who rings in my ears: exterminate, exterminate. The only good dandelion is a dead dandelion. But alas, unless I want to spray the yard and garden with toxic liquids and endanger all our plants, I am at the mercy of my neighbors. Some guy three blocks away can have dandelions and eventually I will too. All I can do is be ever vigilant and pull them out when I see them.
Now, I'm not a big fan of turf grass either. Eventually I would like to rid the back yard of turf grass entirely and limit it to a pathway in the front yard. But as along as we have grass in the yard, it needs to be dandelion free.

Arbor Day

Pat and I planted three trees this evening to celebrate Arbor Day. The two in the front yard are flowering pears. The back yard got a six foot japaneese maple.

TULIPS!!!

Katie and Sean brought us these tulips from the Netherlands. The variegated leaf hints at hosta. The flowers are down right beautiful.

Now this is a screen saver

Proof that if you take enough pictures, some are bound to turn out ok.

Our inland sea

On the other side of Lake Erie they're still playing hockey and shoveling driveways. I got a glimpse of a great lakes freighter. What would a picture of lake Erie be without a picture of the industrial might that makes it safe to drink?

More spring pictures

These pictures are to let katie know that mom and dad are on the job and walking the back yard everyday. to see what needs work. So far it looks like we only lost one bush.
As soon as grad school is over we'll have the stone, topsoil, and sweet peat delivered. then the fun begins.

We share our back yard with all sorts of animals. Deer leave tracks in the mud every morning. One of these days I'll get up at 3 in the morning and wait for them.