Back Yard, Under Construction

I know this post is not plant related really, but it's a bit of an introduction of how my backyard became what it is now.

My honey decided that he wanted to build a deck in our back yard. Mostly and honestly, because it looked like shit.

My car is parked right next to the backyard under the carport, and it gets SO dusty from all the dirt these dogs pick up when they run around, or when the wind blows etc. He was fed up with it. Well, 'we' were fed up. Plus, when the boys would come inside from attending the pups, they would bring in all that dirt, or mud if it was raining.

We're supposed to be having a graduation party for my son who is done with HS soon, and this is NO place to have guests...

My hun used to build decks along side his friend a few years ago at some company he was working for. So he knows the way to get it done. At least a basic one.

You can clearly see all the dirt. We had laid some of those red bricks down in that whole section a few years ago, right where you step out. We ended up moving them next to the garage to protect the new siding from getting muddy when it would rain. Hun hired some guys to come out and remodel the garage because the roof was a goner already. The garage was asbestos so we got rid of that. He basically flipped it. Everything brand new.

This house behind our house is a rental. There's all kind of ppl moving in all the time. So frustrating. Right now it's some low class ghetto ppl that man, I just wanna smack that old bat, the owner on the head to think before she rents!! 

Some days I go to my backyard and smell all that skunk piss pot they smoke. It's so disgusting. Getting high for free. We're homeowners. Recently paid off our mortgage (15yrs sooner YaY!) ...and we really don't know if we will ever decide to move ← That being the reason all my trees are in pots, because I AM taking them with me if we ever go... duh.

Anyway so, at that time, the renters they had, they had 2 little girls. About 5 and 6yrs old maybe. 

Oh man were they nosy, and SO ANNOYING! SO nosy!! IDK what the mom was doing inside that she was not watching her children!

My dog at that time had just had puppies. They saw them through the cracks of the wooden fence. They managed to get the attention of all my dogs to the back fence. They made a hole big enough to pull my puppies through under to their side. They'd run in their home and tell their mother they 'found' some puppies or that 'these puppies keep coming to our side'. I felt so bad having the bigger sister come around 4, to 5 times that day to bring me my pups back. ... and me saying oh I'm so sorry! Until I stood out there and saw what was going on. First, I put left over boards under the fence then some bricks in front so wouldn't be able to 'get out'. That should have done the trick. I even thought it was the bigger dogs that were moving the bricks out of the way.

As I stood there I realized it was the little girls that were pushing the blocks out of the way, WITH the boards I had placed under the fence!!!!! I used all kinds of things to try and get these little girls to stop.  I was so annoyed! I even put up the cardboard boxes from the furniture I bought to cover the gaps between the fence. My hun would call me on his way to work to tell me the little girls were already standing by the gate like flies trying to find a hole to peek through. 

We didn't have money at that time or time to put actual wood to cover the gaps. I even moved the dog houses towards the back fence to hold the wood and blocks in place. My back yard looked like complete blah with everything I tried to do to stop them from grabbing my puppies. As many times as they pulled my puppies through, they managed to dig a hole and get out a few weeks later. ... and that's why we didn't have dogs anymore. 

Anyway, they're gone now, yay!!! and I couldn't be happier. idk what worse those that... or this we have now ugh!! Hun and I have even spoke about buying that property, knocking that house down and making ourselves a bigger back yard. These properties are very pricey now tho so who knows. That old bat is going to want a fortune.

Here's a few shots from the progress... of the deck, then I'll add a few of what I was talking about in this whole cardboard, doghouses dilemma.

My son helped his dad a bit with holding up the boards. My son HATES working with his dad because he says he complains too much lol!!!

Just need to put in the top boards and it's good. It's very sturdy. Hun did a GREAT job.

Just in time for the Graduation Party! It feels amazing. Like a brand new house. Funny how one little thing can change the ambiance of a place so much.

 

 

Those card boards are held up by staples LoL! Yes, Staples. Until the little girls managed to push a stick through the gaps to try to move the cardboard out the way. Little buttheads!! Man and I thought boys were bad. These little girls said, move on over because we're coming through!

This was the day my hun finally had time to cut and put up the boards to cover the actual gaps.

Would you believe we used to have a BIG pool in the back yard? We did. Took up the whole thing. We took it down on the 3rd year. Too much maintenance. My little one and myself loved the pool, but it had got to go. That's why we had no grass. It was just trying to grow back.