Great Memories of Our Old Backyard



The other day I was on Pinterest and this picture popped up that someone had pinned from the HGTV site.  (I had originally uploaded it to the RMS site)   How exciting to see our backyard!  It was our old one that we put years and years into making our own.  We moved from there a few years ago, but have great memories of the place.

Here it was when we moved in in 2000.  Yes, a bit rough!!  :)

When we first redid this area, we had a swing set, as our kids were in grade school. They loved that thing! After they outgrew it, we put our firepit up there.  It was such a great place to relax!




This is actually after we had cleaned it up quite a bit.  I remember lots and lots of 2x6's stacked against the fence, rotting....  I think the prior owner's plan was to build raised beds.  Because the soil is clay, clay, and more clay, a lot of people do make raised beds.  We decided to rototill truckloads of compost in instead. 

Max would play for hours, chasing racquetballs. When he'd get tired, he knew exactly where to cool off. He would lay in the second level with the cool water flowing on his back. He would set his racquetball down and it would stay right there until he was ready to play some more. :)   HGTV also had this picture on their site for Pets in the Yard.  Max was a star!  :)

Thanks for your visit!

Pam

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Rest in Peace Sweet Boy

As many of you who read my blog know, Max has been a huge part of our lives for the past 12 years.  We went on vacation last week and while we were gone he took a terrible turn for the worse.  We were so fortunate that the vet who was caring for him was so kind.  She thought he would be better with some medications, but then she found a tumor on his pancreas which was too much for him to recover from.  While she held up the phone and I talked to him one last time, she said he looked up and wagged his tail hearing my voice.  She and I cried and cried as we came to the decision that it was not fair to keep him going while he was in such pain.  Obviously we are heartbroken.  Coming home to an empty house, seeing his stuff everywhere in the house and yard and knowing he's gone is so tremendously hard.  But, we also remember how much we loved him from the minute we brought him home in 2000. 

This is in our old backyard.  He was smart enough to claim that spot in the pond as his.  This picture of him even made it on the HGTV site!  :)

We built this pond for him when we moved in this house.  The part he is laying in will always be known as "Max Beach". 

We are better people for having him in our lives and will never forget him. 

Thank you for your visit.

Pam

Fun Garage Sale Finds

I've been going out just about every Saturday morning to the local garage sales.  There are some weeks that I come home with nothing and some weeks that I come home with some fun things.  It certainly is an enjoyable way to spend an hour or so, and I rarely ever spend more than $10. 

I love this metal horse.  Actually there are two of them that fit together.  I now have two places I can hang them.  This one is in my living room.

.  I think these milk bottles and holder are reproductions, but I still think they're cute.

I went out to my side yard and cut some lavender.

And have a good smelling kitchen island.  :)

I love this old box.

I need more furniture like I need a hole in my head, but couldn't pass up this dresser.  Stay tuned for the redo coming soon!



And who can resist a lab in water??  :)

It's been hot, hot, hot here and Max knows exactly where to go to cool off. 

What fun things have you found lately? 

Thanks for coming by!

Pam

An Explosion of Blooms for the 4th

Fireworks are illegal in our city this year due to the extreme fire danger.  We haven't had any fires right here, but much of the state has burned.  Very scary!  We will go see a professional fireworks show tonight which should be fun.

In the meantime, I am loving time spent in my garden.  As I've mentioned before, June and July are amazing months.  This year we have had extremely hot weather and lots of wind--not a good combination, so some things have been slow to take off.  I'm hoping the winds go somewhere else for the rest of the summer!

The wave petunias are starting to fill out. 

The pond lilies are blooming.

The daisies and coneflowers by the pond have gone crazy.

I love the fullness of this bed.

The flowers on the ladder were hit hard by the hot, dry winds.  I think if I leave the ladder there next summer, I will run tubing up to water each box separately.  I think I need a birdhouse on the top, as those flowers aren't doing very well. 

I am generally not a fan of orange flowers, but this daylily is gorgeous!

 Coneflowers, daisies and butterfly bush are looking good.

More daylily love! 

 I bought this birdhouse from Colby Cottage in Oregon years ago.  I love how the daisies and daylilies are enveloping it.  There is a Rose of Sharon there too, but it hasn't bloomed yet.

The other day I saw FOUR adult birds hanging out at this birdhouse. I think there are separate compartments (or apartments) :)   They sure are loud anytime we are out there.  Those parents are very, very skeptical of people and animals.

Thanks so much for coming by! 

Happy 4th of July!

Pam


I am linking to the following parties:

Pin the Tail on the Bloggy Time Party at Debbiedoo's
Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Friday Linky Party

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I Love June in the Garden

June and July are my favorite months in my yard.  Just about everything is blooming and the hot, hot days of August haven't yet taken their toll on the flowers. 

 This is the beginning of the third summer for the plants around and in the pond to grow.  Everything is filling in nicely.  The daisies on the right are enormous!!

The lavender and some daylilies are blooming. The daisies and coneflowers are about to explode with blooms. I can't wait!

Several families have taken up residence this year. Some of the places look awfully full of nesting material!  I absolutely love that the birds use the birdhouses!

Thanks for coming by.  I hope everything is blooming in your yards now too!

Pam

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DIY Show Off's Project Parade

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What a Beautiful Time of Year

After many months of snow and cold, I am so happy to welcome spring!  May and June are absolutely beautiful here.

Yesterday I planted my pots. (yes, today my old body is feeling it!) :)

I planted cosmos, petunias, snapdragons and a spike in the middle of each.

I planted these a couple of weeks ago.  They are wave petunias and are already starting to fill in nicely.   (You can see the Arborviteas along the fence.  They were all the same size when I planted them two years ago.  What the heck is with the little guy in the center??)

 I love the adirondack chairs my husband built.  We spend a lot of time sitting in them.

The wave petunias in the boxes on the ladder and the perennials are starting to come back to life in this area.

The creeping thyme between the rocks is really filling in.  Last week I added rocks to the back side of the pond so my husband could get to the pump and filters without ruining any of the plants back there. 

The fish are getting big! 

 We used to have an ugly piece of mesh separating the area for Max to lay down in and the rest of the pond, but he never gives any indication that he'd go in the deep end, so we got rid of it.  We love the look of the pond without it!

He is definitely my favorite part of the backyard! 

 We had dinner out here last night and it was a perfect night!  I'm looking forward to everything blooming and many more nights out here this summer.

Thanks for your visit! 

 Happy Mother's Day!


My blog has been nominated for Best Innovative Blog at Palatin Remodeling, Inc.  I'd love it if you'd vote for me!

VOTE HERE

Pam


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