The kids were home for a week. Today they went back to school. The weather is nasty, I’m waiting for a phone call from the bank. Got some laundry going, almost done with the dishwasher, but I’m still in my nightgown in front of the computer. It’s quiet, I still have plenty of time to do stuff, and none of the cats has gotten sick or brought in any presents. Mmmmm.

I’ve been busy all week, and did a lot of things in the garden. Oh, wait, glimpsiness of sunshine! Have some pictures!

We’re going to have some work done on the house, so I was moving things away from the outside. One of those things is the pile of wood that will eventually become a fort for the kids. Yucky looking. So I killed two birds with one stone and moved plants away from the foundation to the base of the tree. They’re small now, but by the end of the summer not only will they make a nice visual vignette, but they’ll disguise the fort (or pile of wood, depending on how dedicated we are.) Hiding our neighbor’s shed is another matter entirely.

We also started up the waterfall on Sunday, after much cleanup of leaves and debris. I repotted the aquatic plants, and hubby had the misfortune of having to get into the pond and place them on the bubbler in the center. The sedum and lilies in the front were moved from the foundation, as well. They nicely cover the awkward space between the patio and the raised end of the pond.

From the slate patio you can see a little of the new plantings. I’m working on weaving the ivy onto the rest of the chain link fence. The way it’s growing, there should be a real difference by the end of summer. To the left of the pond in this picture, I’ll be moving more slate to make a smaller patio/seating area. The backyard isn’t huge, but by the time I’m done it’ll be a lovely place to sit around or wander through the individual “garden rooms”.

I think I’ll start a new category for these pictures and posts. There should be a lot of changes around here this year.