Welcome home!

A couple of weeks ago, we returned home to the home/house in Tennessee after a few months break in New York.  When we left, I asked the neighbor kid who was going to mow the lawn each week, if he'd use the weed eater in the front yard only.  In the back, I've almost always had some small plantlings that I was trying to grow along the fence, that were often overlooked by zealous landscapers - my son included - who either mowed them down or "weedate" them.  Every year I lose a few this way.

(For years I have tried to grow different shrubs - for both beauty and privacy - along our 6' fence, with mixed results.  I've lost quite a few to the intense summer heat or winter freezes, others to the weedeater, and still others to random factors I don't understand [like the beautiful weigela I had for years that suddenly shriveled up and died within three days.  Maybe it was underground moles?]  Of course, our frequent coming and going doesn't help, since I'm not there every single day to nurture them; though we do have an irrigation system.  This is why I'm always continually trying to grow at least a couple of new little shrubs.)

Anyway, I figured we could just weedeat the back when we returned (no one sees the backyard behind the fence anyway); that way my little plant babies would have their best chance to succeed.

So the neighbor kid did just as I asked (and he did a great job!); therefore, this is what we returned home to in the back of the house:

Here is where my daylilies and irises grow.  They're in there somewhere!

Here's the awful crabgrass that thrives in the sweltering Tennessee heat and which I've found no good removal method for.

The squirrels broke into all my cans I store birdseed in.

They ate three huge bags full! 😠

(And left me a mess!)

And here was the GREAT part, in the front yard!

I always throw seeds from fruits and vegetables in my compost (even though you're not supposed to), because doing so always brings me some fun surprises each year.

I composted all my plants in early summer to feed them.

After being gone a couple of months, I returned to find this pumpkin growing in front of the tree in my front yard.

Of course I left it!

I may not be able to sustain a real vegetable garden with all of our moving around,

so I'll take what I can get!

There's a huge butternut squash vine growing at the mailbox, with multiple fruits.

I have to keep tucking the plant back over to the side so my son doesn't drive over it.

It took nearly a week to get the yard back in shape.  It's amazing how fast (and how big) weeds will grow!

So once the yard was back in shape, we left again (of course) to return to The House of Goodwill to pick up where we left off.  It never ends.  Good thing I enjoy the work!  (More or less. 🙂)