Just when I get rolling on my family room remodel, I have to hit the brakes and get outside the minute the weather allows. That’s fine with me as at least I am continuing on in any fashion. Today, I have a backyard update for you that’s been in the works for the last couple of months. You can see the full beginning HERE.
Here it is at the end of April after I seeded with grass and have been making strides to get a yard in any form. Followed by the
“after” – today’s update about a month after I install my DIY French drain.
What’s different?
The top photo is DEFINITELY an improvement over the lack of grass I show in my before tour HERE or as seen below.
And the view after our long day of amending.
However, this time we amend the soil even more, seed again, and make some other huge changes to the terrace area.
Loula is having a blast with us tossing soil as I show in my vlog below.
And I also remove ever MORE of these doggone invasive Bradford pear trees.
Do you know how painful it is to cut these up?!
There are 4″ spikes alone with smaller ones (if you look closely)
PREPPING FOR SUMMER
Then, near the end of this month, the soil has firmed up enough I feel I’m ready to fell the dead triple trunk cherry tree.
Deborah and I (yes, I named my chainsaw – don’t you?) are ready to “judge” this tree and be rid of its looming threat.
She and I haven’t played together since autumn when I was cutting and splitting firewood for my old home fireplace.
You don’t want to miss the fun below (tap/click image below to watch)
How’s that for a backyard update?
woot!!
That felt so good in more ways than one. Surpassing a hurdle that had me in anxiety but also knowing I could.
At the same time, my kids help amend the yard and I also teach them to join me in this work. Yes, they do it willingly. {{winky wink}}.
I taught this guy (aka. youngest son) a few years ago how to use saw and wanted to cut up this part.
However, I didn’t want them touching the rest as it is COVERED with poison ivy and they are very prone to it.
TIMBER!
When it came time for felling the other two trunks, my son pulls the tree in the direction that I was cutting it to fall. Again, my vlog shows it best.
As I also mention in my vlog, I had some hurdles to deal with in addition to the poison ivy.
How about a metal post running in between the trunks?
I had to navigate around that and will hopefully be able to cut it out better now that the tree is down.
Maybe you can zoom in on the photo above but there is TONS of poison ivy mixed in with the other ivy.
On the second day when I clean up the tree, I had to remove every bit of poison ivy before sawing. It was wickedly time consuming but worth the effort for many reasons.
This is just a portion of what I pull off. (some are 2″ diameter)
Thankfully, I didn’t get a lick of it and am glad to be rid of it. Though, there’s so much more to pull out yet.
All I have left to do it get the city to come chip it up. Unfortunately, when a tree is covered in poison ivy, you can’t burn it. You run the risk of inhaling the urushiol oil into your lungs. And that… would be awful.
So, my cherry tree will have to be taken to a recycling center instead.
KEEP ON MOWIN’
And it has become quite the snack for these two young bucks and doe.
I have to keep these guys in mind when I design the rest of this space eventually. No free snacks in my yard when they have that plentiful field!
Now it’s your turn…
Have you had a bunch of yardwork this year? Or at least been able to get into your yard?
In the meantime, leave some comment love below as well as pin and share to inspire others.
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Now that you’ve got the garden bug, check out these past projects like my backyard update:
I saw that tree and was saying to myself “don’t touch it!” Glad you knew it was poison ivy. I’m like your kids and stay far, far away. My husband deals with it cause he doesn’t get it. Plus he does the yard work. No garden here as we support a local farm instead. Basically neither one of us likes to garden! He did plant a rose of Sharon to try and block the view from the neighbors in the back. But all of it looks green and healthy. And kudos to you for not having another injury. Things are looking up.
haha. Barb, what you see is mostly safe ivy. The poison ivy is secretly laced in and kinda hard to see unless you know what you’re looking for. I am wanting more of a natural garden rather than productive at this home. I’ve had my time to have my vegetable garden, grape arbor, etc. And for the record, all of my injuries recently have not happened on the job, but when I’m chillin’ or just living. haha. Thanks so much and here’s to garden weather!
This is quite an accomplishment. The poison ivy alone would have sent me running from this job. I have landed in the hospital a few times in my life because of horrendous cases of poison ivy. Everything is looking good in your yard though…so worth all of the work! Will you be having a veggie garden at all this year?
To fell a tree like that alone is HUGE for me. 🙂 And yes, so worth the work. Thank you, Dale. Not planning veggies at all for now because we have so many deer and others that will eat it. I’m fine with that as I’ve had plenty of years to enjoy it before.
You are making great progress Larissa DESPITE HUGE THORNS, POISON IVY AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ALL! 😳 Glad you have such great helpers, 2 and 4 legged 💕
Thanks! Kids helped with the first day mostly. When I felled the trees, I had them stay away from the poison ivy. It was much work for me, but they didn’t end up in the ER. 😀
So glad it’s you holding that chainsaw and not me!! I’d be the next episode in a horror trilogy!!! 😱 Grest work!!! You sure show what can be done when you put your mind to it!!! 🥰. It’s all looking so amazing! You and the kids should be very proud of what you’re creating!! ❤️
bwahahaha! I didn’t sleep a wink that night because my body was processing the anxiety of making all that go smooth as possible. whew! Just glad it’s down and no longer staring at me like it’s waiting for me to walk under it. Carpenter ants were pouring out as I was cutting!
The ants fit the horror movie vibe… 😱🤣
BWAHAHAHA!! They sure do!
And I took out another smaller tree a couple of days ago and it had even more ants. 🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜🐜
Very impressive. I once bought a chainsaw and got it stuck in the second tree I tried to cut down. (head smack)Then it started raining so I covered the saw up with a trash bag. After the rain stopped I managed to get it unstuck, but what a lesson…. I love that your kids cheer you on as you tackle absolutely EVERYTHING!
haha!! I love that you figured it out and didn’t quit. You go girl!!
Larissa you are amazing.
It felt amazing to see those trunks go down. I was sweating bullets! 😀 Thank you, Jackie.
Doing all kinds of yard work this summer. Hubby has a back injury but still mows with a riding mower; I do the weedeating. We”re in our 70’s and it is certainly harder but rewarding. BTW, Happy Birthday from SW Ohio!
It always feels so good, doesn’t it? 😀 Thank you, Sherri.