Above: photo from Micah's Instagram account. I was the raker, he was the bagger.
This past weekend (and yesterday) was uncharacteristically sunny and less-cold than it should have been, and Micah and I took full advantage of it. We've completely neglected our yard since we moved in; the timing was ideal to do so, as autumn was just settling in. Everything was falling back for the year, allowing us time to dream and plan for the spring – but also allowing us to not deal with the tons and tons of pine needles and leaves that had accumulated over the last year (or two?). I love living in an East Coast forest area where that's even possible, but the "neglected hobo yard" look was really getting to me. So! This weekend was all about the unglamorous task of yard work. Not the dreamy kind, where you're planting blueberry bushes along the west fence, or snipping off stems of mint for a julep (both of which I've obviously dreamt about) – but the slow, backbreaking kind, where you're wading through monkey grass and constantly entangling yourself in barbed vines.
I'm making it sound bad, but honestly I loved it. There's something very satisfying about work with a visual, tangible result: a sparkling white sink, a fixed appliance, huge piles of leaves. Plus it's the kind of mundane thing I daydreamed about when we were trying to buy a home. So I made the best of it, jamming out to Jay-Z and Kanye, soaking up the sun, and thinking about what an amazing workout my core was getting.
Which is an excellent mindset to have, as we've still got so much work ahead of us. Another third of the yard to rake and bag, then clearing out weeds and perennials we don't want, then transplanting and cutting back the horde of monkey grass, and moving (and rebuilding) the raised beds...
I can't wait 'til next weekend.