The Yard Work-out

Ladies, are you looking to work those glutes and upper thighs well before swimsuit season? Have I got a tip for you! Get a huge ass yard. If that doesn't work, find a friend with a big yard and volunteer to help with yardwork. Because let me tell you, I spent about six hours this weekend working on our yard for the first time and I'm wincing every time I sit down from all the muscle aches in my butt. It's better than squats, and more productive!

When we moved in back in December, the once-pretty bright green hostas had turned to yellow and disgusting. Someone recommended I cut them back in late November (too late!) and I was so preoccupied with moving in, painting, getting hardwood floors, doing the holidays and beyond that December stretched into March and the next thing I knew, I had raised beds full of dead reeds and piles of icky leaves that looked like giant moth's wings. Gross.

So even though I'm well past the period when it probably would have really made a difference, I took advantage of the good weather this past weekend and headed out there with my brand new gardening tools and got to work trimming the reeds down to about 2 inches above ground and pulling out all the dead leaves. It was surprisingly aerobic! I predict most of my tanning and exercise will be happening in the yard this summer.

And I even have these surprises waiting to bloom...I'm betting daffodils, but who knows? It might be tulips.

When we had our hardwood floors installed, Sean kept himself busy by filling 12 bags with leaves from our front yard. But we never tackled the backyard until Monday and WHOO BOY was that a chore. After four hours of raking and bagging, we filled 17 bags and the yard is still covered with pinecones and other natural detritus. Welcome to home ownership!

We love the amount of space in our yard but find it very intimidating. Landscaping isn't just challenging from a planning and maintenance perspective; it's expensive! To add to the intimidation factor, we learned fairly quickly that our yard has several dips that form what we're calling the Kennedy Great Lakes. Drainage is an issue, and will have to be resolved before we ever make any serious investments in landscaping.

With that in mind, the plan for this first spring and summer is to see what pops up (I think we're in for a lot of surprises!), learn the basics of maintenance and care, and experiment with some container gardening to at least establish some good habits and gauge how much sun each area gets. In the long-term, I can imagine a few great garden "rooms" back there...possibly some nice spots to read or relax, an extra little patio for a firepit or raised beds for veggies. But first, we need to get a lawn mower.