It’s been quite a month, full of both highs and lows. And perhaps I bit off a little more than I could chew (if you’ll excuse the cliche). Don’t get me wrong, I think the final results in our backyard are amazing, and the space is beautiful. But we’re not finished, and last night when Jason asked me when I wanted to get the rest of the yard finished, I blanched just a bit. I’m worn out.

But here’s what I learned.

• Home improvement projects will always, always, always take longer than you anticipate. And I knew this from our work inside our home, but for some reason I thought it wouldn’t take quite so long outside. Silly me. Maybe I underestimated the work that there was to do, and I know I didn’t anticipate the drainage issues we encountered with the patio. But man oh man, just the cleaning out and cutting out was time consuming.
• How to use a Sawzall. Jason’s garage is brimming with power tools. This was the first time I’ve gotten to use the Sawzall. You have to love it when the instructions from your husband include, “You might want to sit that way because if it slips, you’ll cut off your leg.”
• Plans, what plans? Remember this very carefully illustrated blueprint for how things were going to look in my yard? Right. Well, the trees have all been pruned and cleaned up. And we removed much of the old plants and shrubs needed taking out in order to make this dream more likely. But there is no patio, which was going to be a major focus in our yard. Don’t give up hope yet. There will be, eventually. But in better news, the swing set has become a focal point and such a great addition. And I wouldn’t change that for anything.
• “In Search of My Mother’s Garden, I Found My Own.” In my mother’s living sits a tile with this quote on it. I remember when she opened it (it was a gift from her sister), and the tears it evoked. I’ve never been big on gardening, so I didn’t get it. But I’m starting too now. I’ll never been a Master Gardener like my mother, but I admit having flowers and herbs especially makes me feel like something of her, a bit of motherly love and influence perhaps, is growing up out of the ground with leaves and shoots. It’s more beautiful than just the pale pink petals or the purple bloom on my basil. And I love this lesson.