This summer, I’m making progress on de-cluttering my backyard and tackling lots of the issues that have prevented me from fully enjoying my yard. It started with the removal of two Douglas Firs from the southeast corner of the property---trees that were now too close to the house and the pool as they matured. I had mixed feelings about bringing down the trees. On one hand, they provided a perch for the many blue jays that came through the yard and provided a nice "woodsy" feel when one sat in the guest bedroom and looked out the window into the branches. On the other hand, the litter of fallen needles and cones made for a lot of ongoing clean-up, both in and around the pool. Once cracks in the cement started to appear, however, it was apparent that it was time to have the trees removed.

The trees were removed in a day—a remarkable feat in my opinion, given their size!—and once they were out, the backyard took on a whole different look and feel. Sunlight pours into that area of the yard all day long. Combined with the trimming of the oak trees I’d had done last fall, the entire back yard now receives so much more sunlight, and that gave me impetus to clean up the yard and make it more enjoyable to hang out in.

Here’s what we’ve done so far:

• We summarized the pool. When the sun is out, it’s now shining on the pool and our bubble wrap solar cover raises the water temperature to 80 degrees without a heater. I’ve enjoyed many lazy floats on sunny weekend afternoons.

• We planted a vegetable garden. Finally, the vegetables can get sufficient sunlight to be abundant. We’ve already enjoyed some early tomatoes, peppers, and cilantro.

• We spruced up the rose bushes. It’s a nice change of pace from work to be outside working in the yard, and I’ve been much better about nurturing the rose bushes this year. My reward has been several spectacular blooms of color over the past few months.

• We assembled a gazebo on the back deck. We found a great deal on a roomy gazebo complete with mosquito netting and put it up on the deck. It’s a comfortable place to just sit and enjoy the quiet of the neighbourhood and play the occasional game of chess.

• We built a planter in the north end of the property. With all the additional sunlight coming through the yard, the north end of the yard was a newly discovered spot for sun-loving plants. Not only are we enjoying the blaze of blooming flowers (which I can also see from the upstairs bathroom window), we transplanted a plant from the side yard that had been in the way of walking a direct path down the side yard for years.

• We finally installed the lattice panels along the edge of the deck to increase the feeling of privacy as we sit back there. Now that the yard looks and feels less cluttered and more functional, we find we’re spending more time enjoying it.
  

There are other projects that still remain to be completed---updating the pool house; a thorough power wash and waterproofing of the deck, and so on----the list of tasks never really ends. As you might imagine all this activity has generated a pile of clutter that needs to be disposed of, though that’s pretty much contained to one area of the yard. Our waste management company offers one free "bulky item" pick-up day per household each year and as soon as the labor lock-out gets resolved, I plan to schedule my pick-up. In the meantime, however, I’m enjoying summertime in the Bay Area and relishing the new look and feel to my backyard.

Onwards!

Dot Snow - dot.snow@kp.org

Hi. My name is Misty and Linda, my human mom and I wanted to tell you about the Pet Mementos made by Carol Swann. They are beautiful and such a great way to remember your pet. Linda has purchased a number of them as gifts for those who have lost a pet recently. From a dog's perspective I think it is a very cool way to keep your pet close to you for always. Have a look at the website at www.petmementos.com and pass it onto others who have pets or work with animals. You'll love them. We sure do and so did the people we gave them to!

 - Personal Reflections

This guy was amazing. He could stand almost on his head while eating the cherries and balance himself like I have never seen. He tore off a branch at a time, ate the fruit then dropped the branch to the ground. Fascinating. He’s been by twice now. Not sure if he’ll be back before the apples are ready in another month. They are looking plentiful so I expect it will be a big season of eating before winter’s hibernation.

We had the same guests at Village Hideaway for the past three months and they left yesterday and are planning to come back for three weeks when their baby is due in November. We had a lovely dinner together the night before they left. Feels very strange to not have them here and we look forward to seeing them again mid-October. We’ve another guest arrive today for three weeks. She’s off to England with the military to study. Her home sold before she was ready to leave here so she is making the Village Hideaway her home away from home for the rest of the month. The vacation suite is such a great way to introduce people to the Village and Village life and the response is overwhelmingly positive. It’s like Cumberland was one of the best-kept little secrets that’s being discovered. We’ve a new neighbour a few doors up. A 40 something fellow that owns a café (delicious breakfasts – we’ve been there) in a neighbouring city just bought a fixer-upper on the street and I can’t wait to see the transformation over time. A new fence is up to house the dog he has which is a good sign of a responsible pet owner.

There has also been an empty lot across from us for years and now a woman is building a new home for herself there. Sounds like a neat design. The foundation is in so we expect framing to start soon and she plans to be in by Christmas. In the meantime, we have that construction dust floating around through the windows.

The rest of the Village seems to be bustling with summer activities as well as several renovation and restoration projects in the works. This place is a gem and continues to be polished up in so many ways by such a mix of people with such talent. Every day is a new discovery of something new. I wouldn’t trade it for anything!