Friday, July 18, 2003 There are several things I would like to do in our front and back yards. I don't know how many of them would get done, but I have grand ideas;). In the BACKyard: *fence (This is actually in progress, thanks to my sister's generosity ... we are waiting on our neighbors to fence their side though. They have one of those permanent above-ground inflatable pools you can get from Wal-Mart or the like, and are required to put up a fence. They haven't had the money for a fence though, and are debating between wood and chain link. I just HATE waiting, though.) *vegetable garden (This will actually be in a fenced off area to the side of the house. It will be a great dog run for resale value, too. Our plan is to have the fence extend 2/3 or 3/4 up the one side of our house, and have a gate to it from the fenced in back yard, so that kids or animals can't go traipsing through the veggies.) *sandbox (The one I really like is this one from Family Fun, but I know Jeff will balk at it, thinking "it is too hard for us to make ourselves". The truth is, it would cost way too much for us to ever buy, so if we want it, we'll have to build it. Simple as that.) *extended patio (We will be doing this with pavers, so that the garden gazebo isn't crammed up next to the patio anymore. We just need to dig away some area, and get to it. The other alternative is to add 2 feet in concrete, but that'll just look weird, IMO.) *wooden swing set (This is one of those fantasy wishes. We wouldn't build it ourselves, I'd think, and they are mucho expensive. We can dream, right?) *cat enclosure (We've been having repeated problems with Lockheed, culminating in my desire to just toss her out of the house. The problem is, way back when, she was declawed on her front feet so that she could go home with Jeff for a summer. She would love to be outdoors, and this is one way to ensure her safety while still keeping her. She peed on our bed. Twice. After peeing on Parker's bed, Parker's stroller, Parker's diaper bag, sofas, clothing, plastic bags, etc. We took her for a physical and urinalysis. She's very healthy. It is her behavior that is questionable. Some examples are: this, this, this, and this.) *cat fence block (This is an alternative to the above cat enclosure. I've found three different options: buying Cat Fence, creating our own cat fence, or Kitty Klips.) In the FRONTyard: *privacy planting (Truly not a screen of the house, as Jeff is against that, but a definite barrier between the road and our house, to both visually define our front yard and prevent Parker from easily getting to the road, although the driveway and the sides will be available to him. The two garden plans that I most like are Fragrant Garden and Butterfly Garden. I guess we'll just have to see on these. I am not great with gardening and these are tall orders.) *tree bench (Just like this one, but again, Jeff figures we can't do it ourselves and, of course, we can't afford to just buy it.) *extended driveway (On either side of the driveway, I want to add about 6 to 12 inches of river rock like by our front door, to extended the driveway a bit, but also to keep weeds away from the edges. I think it would look really great to have next to the rocks some ornamental grasses or something that would spill over the rocks, too. Maybe a fragrant herb?) *flowering beds (I can't be more specific than that because, well, I have NO clue!!! I love the cottage garden look, but don't have the house for it. So, I'm clueless.) I'm sure there have been more ideas fleeting through my mind, but these are the ones that come to mind. Don't you just wish you could blink your eyes and it would all be done?? ------------------------------------------------
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