Backyard Disgrace
This afternoon was beautiful. The sky was clear, the birds were chirping, and it was 70 degrees. It is the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors. I was alone for dinner, so I had decided to bbq some chicken breasts to soak up what was left of the day. After I had placed the chicken breasts onto the bbq, I stood around to absorb the environment. It gave me time to look around, and to think about the condition of our backyard.
Since we moved in during the spring of 1999, we have not had a good backyard. Our backyard had remained to be an area for storing what I consider junk (because it has laid there with no purpose of usage in over a year(s)), home to our dog named Rice (Dalmatian that died within a year after moving to this house), a storage shed, fruit trees, a vegetable/herb garden, and a bunch of dirt. The plan was never to keep the backyard the way it is today when we moved in.
Back when we moved in, the plan was to remove the current patio and sidewalk that went around the house, build a new patio/sidewalk, redo the sprinkler system, and plant a lawn. If I remember right, there was even the idea of building a permanent BBQ. Like many other things, those plans were put on hold because of my grandma on my mom's side. She was suffering with the last stages emphysema at the time we moved in March. That had kept my mom occupied along with my dad. She had passed away two months later in June. With all of this happening, I could understand why things did not get done. But after everything was finished with my grandma's passing, there was no excuse for getting back towards the house. The backyard wasn't the only thing to share the fate of not being completed after my grandma's death. Our living room, dining room, and kitchen has shared the same fate. A few dozen of boxes that have never been unpacked after moving, and furniture never used. That is another story for a different rant which has probably been mentioned before in posts before.
Today, the backyard hasn't changed much since we moved in. Two pomegranate trees were planted, a garden is planted each year, and two citrus dwarf trees were planted. Only maintenance that has been done to the backyard is the weed control and garden control. The only time my parents spend time in the backyard is for that limited maintenance and to cook on the bbq. My dad gets an idea to plant more plants (all the time) and will buy trees and plants to place in the backyard. These plants end up staying in the containers in which they came in from the nursery, where they will live their lives for a while. Many has died because of it. The pomegranate trees used to be in nursery pots, but those were finally transplanted to the ground to help the trees produce fruit. On the east side of the house in the yard, our old Wilderness camping trailer is slowly rotting away. More of a monument to our amazing camping adventures growing up. Last used on a family vacation to June Lake in the early 2000's. Today, used as storage of items like our suit cases and sleeping bags, along with other junk that is not needed. The only thing new I have noticed, and only noticed this afternoon was the removal of the old dog house. The dog house that we had built when we first got our dog Rice, who passed away 13 years ago. Here are some photos of what the backyard look like currently, which is how it always has looked over the past 14 years. Keep in mind, the green you see are nothing but weeds that my dad has used a weed eater too to keep maintained. Most of the time, everything is brown and dirt. It just happens to be our rain season, so weeds grow out of control. Don't have a photo of the old camping trailer. Was blurry when I took it. Might add it later when I get bored. Click to enlarge.
Since we moved in during the spring of 1999, we have not had a good backyard. Our backyard had remained to be an area for storing what I consider junk (because it has laid there with no purpose of usage in over a year(s)), home to our dog named Rice (Dalmatian that died within a year after moving to this house), a storage shed, fruit trees, a vegetable/herb garden, and a bunch of dirt. The plan was never to keep the backyard the way it is today when we moved in.
Back when we moved in, the plan was to remove the current patio and sidewalk that went around the house, build a new patio/sidewalk, redo the sprinkler system, and plant a lawn. If I remember right, there was even the idea of building a permanent BBQ. Like many other things, those plans were put on hold because of my grandma on my mom's side. She was suffering with the last stages emphysema at the time we moved in March. That had kept my mom occupied along with my dad. She had passed away two months later in June. With all of this happening, I could understand why things did not get done. But after everything was finished with my grandma's passing, there was no excuse for getting back towards the house. The backyard wasn't the only thing to share the fate of not being completed after my grandma's death. Our living room, dining room, and kitchen has shared the same fate. A few dozen of boxes that have never been unpacked after moving, and furniture never used. That is another story for a different rant which has probably been mentioned before in posts before.
Today, the backyard hasn't changed much since we moved in. Two pomegranate trees were planted, a garden is planted each year, and two citrus dwarf trees were planted. Only maintenance that has been done to the backyard is the weed control and garden control. The only time my parents spend time in the backyard is for that limited maintenance and to cook on the bbq. My dad gets an idea to plant more plants (all the time) and will buy trees and plants to place in the backyard. These plants end up staying in the containers in which they came in from the nursery, where they will live their lives for a while. Many has died because of it. The pomegranate trees used to be in nursery pots, but those were finally transplanted to the ground to help the trees produce fruit. On the east side of the house in the yard, our old Wilderness camping trailer is slowly rotting away. More of a monument to our amazing camping adventures growing up. Last used on a family vacation to June Lake in the early 2000's. Today, used as storage of items like our suit cases and sleeping bags, along with other junk that is not needed. The only thing new I have noticed, and only noticed this afternoon was the removal of the old dog house. The dog house that we had built when we first got our dog Rice, who passed away 13 years ago. Here are some photos of what the backyard look like currently, which is how it always has looked over the past 14 years. Keep in mind, the green you see are nothing but weeds that my dad has used a weed eater too to keep maintained. Most of the time, everything is brown and dirt. It just happens to be our rain season, so weeds grow out of control. Don't have a photo of the old camping trailer. Was blurry when I took it. Might add it later when I get bored. Click to enlarge.
If I had things my way, I would of had the original plans of the backyard done a while ago. It would be perfect to sit under a nice patio, enjoy the outdoors while doing homework, eat meals outside, and have a nice place to relax. I would add in a water fountain to have a nice relaxing sound. I did have a water fountain, but my parents decided to sale it because we were not using it at the time. I don't understand my parents. It seems they don't get much escape from the crazy drama of normal life. Having a nice backyard would give them a small escape to relax and enjoy some simple things in life. They have had multiple amounts of free time over the past 14 years to do something about it, especially over the past few years. On their free time, they tend to just maintain how it is today. I really don't know how they can live like this. If you look around, no other backyard is like this. They are nice, good landscaping, eta. If they even spent the time to make it nice, I would help with the maintenance. This just adds to the reasons I hate living in this place. I will make sure that I will never have a backyard like this. I will make it a place where you can enjoy the outside, and relax.
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