Our Great Big Summertime Yard Tour

These photos were taken over Memorial Day weekend.  We start getting the property ready for summer over April vacation (the last week in April for us).  I have that week off from school and we try not to make plans during that week, reserving it for getting the yard cleaned up.  After that, we really only have time on the weekends to work outside and there is a lot to do here after a long, snowy winter.

Two years ago, we added the front deck to the house, and last year we added the deck connecting the house and the barn (garage/loft).  It was a great addition and we love sitting out here.  It is also very functional, especially during the spring rain where this area gets huge puddles.

 In a corner nook behind the house, we have a table and chairs I found at a yardsale.  This was the first part of the deck we added to the house 4 years ago.

This little section of the main house is the mudroom. 

Every year since we have lived here, we work on one large, previously landscaped area on the property that is overgrown and buried under weeds and vines.  It takes about a week to clear it, edge it, save what we can, fill in where we can, and lay down some bark mulch.  This area was this year's project.  It is actually much bigger than it looks here.  Once an area is done, it is much easier to keep up with it the next year.  We are slowly transforming the yard, one area at a time.

This is the backyard which also serves as a fenced in area for the dogs when needed, so this bed really takes a beating.  This was the first large area we worked on 5 years ago.

When we bought the house, there was a small above ground pool here.  It left a perfect circle for a fire pit.

Last year we finally gave up our dream of having a vegetable garden beside the shed.  We tried for several years and things just didn't do well here.  Except the weeds, which grew like, well, weeds.
We decided to make this area into a patio for entertaining.  

We have a screen house behind the shed, and this is another favorite place to have coffee and read.

 And just enjoy the view...

The right side of the garage.

Another view of the fenced in backyard.

It has been almost 2 weeks since these photos were taken and I can't believe how much everything has grown already.