Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Patio that finally is!



It took just under 40 hours for our oldest son to install this beautiful patio in our back yard. He sand set it right over the old broken and crumbling cement we put there 32 years ago. It is made of Pennsylvania Blue Stone and is just lovely.

I have been wanting this project to begin for over 4 years and was told over and over again "we'll do it." I guess I finally decided to take the bull by the horns and make it happen. My youngest son and I went to the stone yard to pick up the already ordered stone, and after much planning on how to deliver it to our back yard, finally had it brought out and moved into place.

The stone came on two huge pallets each weighing approximately 3000 lbs. Getting it off of the delivery truck and placed close enough to the patio for ease of access was a challenge. We finally opted for renting a fork lift from a nearby rental store, but wondered how we'd get it to the back yard? The man who delivered the fork lift said to go ahead and run it on the lawn, but expect a few tire tracks. We didn't know whether the side yard would support so much weight, and the fork lift did get stuck at one point, so we hooked a line up to it and attached the other end to the Van and pulled it out. After all was said and done, the fork lift did very little damage to the lawn.

Once the stone was in place, there really was no choice but to get the details worked out and install it. Because our oldest said he'd get the job done by Father's Day, he worked around his day time schedule and made it happen.

We'll be planting some plugs from the already established Pinks, and Ajuga we have scattered in our landscaping around the edge. We think the combination of silver blue foliage and pink flowers of the "Pinks" and the blue flowers and dark foliage of the Ajuga will really look nice together against the backdrop of the stone.

We will be using the patio a lot more..........no one wanted to even get near the old one it was so disgusting......to eat our meals on the table and to rest on our new patio loungers. We may even move our portable fire place to the patio so we can sit at night and be comfy and cozy while we watch the stars above.

Thank you Bobby, Dale, and Mike.

I can't tell you all how pretty it is other than to say it is such a pleasure to walk out the back door onto the deck and see this patio.

Thank you for making Mom happy!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Happy Spring!

Spring brings much opportunity and much work. We're fortunate that we have what is called an "established landscape", but that doesn't mean it doesn't take a lot of work to maintain.

I find myself outside more and more enjoying the beauty of what we've planted. From tremendous Rhododendron and Azaleas (all of which have some sort of significance attached......a birth, a death, a marriage) to Poppy, Chamelia, Rose and Iris. All of the plants in our bountiful yard have been put there with loving care in hopes that they will thrive. And although I get sore muscles, an aching back and sunburned feet making sure that they do, it is all worth it just so we can enjoy the color these plants bring to our world.