My Yard

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

For years we’ve been wanting to fix up our backyard. When we bought this house in 1995 the backyard was beautiful, and we had a beautiful deck overlooking the canyon. The yard and the canyon it overlooked were a big part of our decision to buy the home.

As the kids grew up, they had big parties here, dances on the deck and games in the yard, it was wonderful. Over the years, age began to take its toll. The beginning of the end of the old yard was prompted by a huge ornamental fig tree (Ficus Benjamina) that stood close by the house. I guess it is sometimes called a weeping fig. The kids climbed it all the time and Sarah and I had built a tree house in it.

Near the end, the tree was probably thirty feet tall, and its root system was all near the surface. We had exposed roots running all across the lawn. They ran under our patio and were lifting and cracking it. The canopy was so large that it shaded the entire back yard and rubbed on the roof of the house when the wind blew. It got to the point that I was unable to keep the grass alive because it didn’t have enough light. I was also worried that the roots would go under the house and crack the slab. The tree had to go.

This was a whole new problem; this tree was huge and had a natural lean towards Godinho’s house. The last thing I wanted to do was land it on their house, but I also didn’t want to land it on my house either. I, of course, had plans to bring it down myself. I could shimmy up the tree, tie a rope around the top of the tree and tie it off in a place that would not allow it to fall in the wrong direction. Simple, eh? Once I cut it off near the ground, I could simply pull on the rope and get it to fall away from the houses. Well, Mom wasn’t as confident as I was so the next thing I knew Ben showed up to help me with the tree, and to keep me alive.

At Ben’s insistence the tree came down one branch at a time. If I had any doubt that we needed to bring it down one branch at a time, all doubt vanished when I was pulling on a single branch while Ben cut it off and the entire rope ripped out of my hand. There was no way I could ever have controlled the entire tree.

So, in early 2020 Lisa and I made a plan to redo our back yard. It took most of 2020 for me to rebuild our deck and then most of the next two years to build block walls around the yard and terraces on the uphill side of the yard and then work sped up quickly in early 2023 when my mistering brother, Jeff Andrew and his entire family made it their goal to help me complete the back yard. We are now on the final step where I lay down pavers.

The biggest reason this whole project has taken so long is because I am doing it on a shoestring budget. I only buy blocks as I can afford them but now with the pavers I kind of need to lay them all at once. A year or so ago Lisa and I visited all the landscaping companies in the area and decided that the Rumble Stone paver sold by Home Depot was the one we liked the best and that was also within our budget.

Saturday I was in the Home Depot, and I figured since I needed to buy pavers this week, I should get a final price. I knew that the portion of my yard that was to be pavers was about 1,300 ft2 so when I learned that the bulk price for the pavers was around $8.75/ft2, a quick calculation in my head told me that this would be over $10,000. I almost passed out right then and there.

My goal is to have the yard mostly ready for Lisa’s birthday party on June 30. I have sent out 264 invites and I have nearly 100 people confirmed to attend. If I don’t have the yard at least somewhat presentable by then, I am in big trouble. As I was standing in the Home Depot the following scripture came to my mind.

28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and acounteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,

30 Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

I didn’t have $10,000 and I had no idea what to do. Because I didn’t want to turn away 100 people from the party, and I was embarrassed I immediately got a line of credit at the Home Depot so at least I knew I could buy the pavers, but I didn’t really need a loan I had to pay off.

I couldn’t sleep Saturday night and it ruined my Sunday and I tossed and turned Sunday night and then first thing Monday morning I started making calls. Finally, I found some good alternatives at RCP Block and Brick and with KRC Rock. I had Lisa look at the options and we are now going with the Catalan paver from RCP Block and Brick. It is more in line with my budget and with what I was expecting to pay.

So now I am a bit more relaxed and once again I’m enjoying the prospect of this big party for Lisa. It is impossible to have a true surprise party for her because she insists on knowing everything that’s going on. I’m certain she knows that we are doing something on June 30 because I have told her can’t book anything for that evening, but she has no idea just who is coming and what is happening.

I’ll keep you updated.

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And there’s enough water in Lake Superior to cover all of North and South America in one foot of water.

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