palehose9

Showing posts with label waterfall. Show all posts

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

I am linking to the following parties:

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

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

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

I am linking to the following parties:

DIY Show Off's Project Parade

Dear Sun, I Am So Glad to See You Again!

I am so happy to report that we finally got nice weather this weekend! And it wasn't a minute too soon! This was the rainiest May on record in our area. We even had snow on Memorial Day! Where's that Dislike button??

So I'll take you on a stroll through my yard. Many things are not blooming yet, but some are and after trying to be patient for so long, I had to show some pictures. I'm sure once things are blooming like crazy, I'll be taking you on another stroll. :)

These tulips were in bloom a couple of weeks ago. They were just beautiful.

These pansies were in full bloom a few weeks ago. I went out one morning and they were all eaten by the deer. But, they've come back nicely. I had to get a picture before the deer figured out that they are available again.

A friend gave me the burlap bag. I love it and love the smell of lavendar by the front door.

The columbine seems to be doing ok in a hanging pot. I know it won't last for long, but right now it's looking good!

The snapdragons, cosmos and candytuft are starting to bloom.

There's a nest in this birdhouse and the cutest birds making their home in it!

I love lupine! Here is a plant that is ready to explode with blooms. I can't wait!

I'm pretty happy with the pond area. We just put it in last year, so the perennials are still fairly new. The sweet william are about the only thing blooming right now. Daisies, coneflowers, daylilies, peonies, salvia, and rose of sharon will be flowering soon.

Here's another view of the pond. The thyme is starting to fill in nicely between the flagstone. The mesh across the pond is to keep our dog in his shallow area and not where the koi are. It works. :)