My Neighbors Are Throwing Me a Party

Today I know that my neighbors are planning a huge party for me. Long ago I (we) used to tsk tsk that certain neighbor on our street that could not keep his yard mowed and weeded. His yard was always in a state of disrepair and we wondered "How could you live like that?" Well in the past 10 months through a series of unfortunate events I myself have become that neighbor. So many times I have wanted to knock on that previously ridiculed neighbor's door with some cookies and say, "I get it now. There's just no time is there?" My front yard looked like a foreclosed home except we were definitely living there. The weeds were so tall Kate called them our trees. He was so meticulous about our yard. He loved doing it. We used to have the best yard on our street. He used to offer to mow our neighbors' yards. And now....well and now I have the worst yard on the street. Well I should say HAD because today I got myself in gear yardwise. I pulled the big "trees" but didn't fool with the little weeds that would have taken me forever to pull. I bought this cool stuff called landscape fabric and some bags of soil and just made a fresh start. Throw in some begonias and I have my yard back again. So dear neighbors, no longer do you have to raise your eyebrows at me. I've got it together now. Well at least my yard is together. And as I walked out my front door to take this picture I almost cried because it was such a relief to have a normal looking yard again. Plus the kids and I spent the entire day outside. We all have pretty impressive farmer's tans to prove it. Carson helped me plant each one of the flowers. He was so into it. I would make the hole and he would pull the flower out (by the flower mind you and I cringed each time) and place it in the hole and help me cover it up with the dirt. And as my neighbors walked out their front door on the their way to eat out the wife said, "You did a good job Betsy." Which in neighbor speak means, "FINALLY!!! We didn't want to have to call the HOA on you. " :)

So much better. I'm a yard outcast no more!