Lindy and Nathan: 126,593 Yard/Patio/Garage: 0

Question: So what did Nathan and Lindy do for Labor Day Weekend?

Answer: Worked our butts off!

I got off work at 7 am on Saturday morning, went to bed, slept until about 12:30. When I woke up and looked out our back window, I saw the garage door open, the back patio cleaned off, and the raspberry bush trimmed down. Go Nathan!

So I head outside, survey the work, take about an hour to wake up and have breakfast, then join Nathan outside to futher tackle the back yard. Our charming dog finds it entertaining to dig holes in the yard. Because of this, along with the major drought our valley is going through (worst in 80 years), our yard is looking a little sad. Ok, that's an understatement.

Thankfully, this burst of motivation included inproving the yard. I proceeded to rake up all of Bandit's happy deposits and pick up all the little pieces of white plastic that were scattered around the yard from when Bandit attacked and shredded the white plastic squirt bottle that he obviously felt was threatening his territory. Now our yard no longer resembles a dry, brown dumpster. Now it's just a dry brown yard.

We then jumped in the truck, drove to Ace Hardware, and bought a bunch of top soil and some grass seed that is native to this area. Then we were off to D&B where we purchased a big ticket item: a shock collar for Bandit so we can zap the little bugger when we catch him digging, barking, and such.

We've now reached approximately 4:30 pm on the same day. We get home and there's the garage, waiting. Keep in mind that this is a one car garage with a small workshop in the back and a small area to the side for...stuff. LOTS of stuff. I don't think I've ever actually seen the floor in that side portion of the garage in all the years that I've known Marla. When we moved in, we only added to the chaos that is garage. But on Saturday, we decided to go through everything in the side section and part of the workshop, move the stack of wood to the back patio, throw the trash into the truck for a trip to the dump, and figure out what can go to Salvation Army. A couple of hours later, about 3/4 of what was in the side section is gone and you can SEE THE FLOOR! After all this, we finally get to kick back, bust out the fondue pot and some wine, and watch a movie. Whew!

Today I slept in until about noon (trying to get back into graveyard mode) then Nathan and I headed to the dump to get rid of the 300 lbs worth of garbage that came out of the garage! Afterwards, Nathan proceeded to rake most of the yard, spread top soil, fill the holes, and spread seed. He then cut out a large square of chicken wire and staked it down over the place where Bandit dug his biggest hole. During all this...I tried to take a nap before work. Yeah, Nathan rocks.

So now our yard is on it's way to becoming green and hole-less (hopefully), our back patio no longer looks like it belongs in Better White Trash Homes & Gardens, and our garage is gradually becoming more like a garage and less like a storage unit. Now we just need to clean out & organize the storage shed, repaint the garage and eaves of the house, do some MAJOR rewiring both in the house and the garage, do some painting in the house, completely remodel the bathroom...the list goes on and on. Ahh, the freedom of home ownership. Honestly infinately better than renting. I can paint our living room neon orange if I want to...but don't worry, I won't.