Being at home in your own backyard

The quintessential 'backyard' is a sacred space that invokes images of cookouts, playtime, fresh air, and a sense of having your own little slice of this huge planet we share to do with whatever you like.  Sadly, these havens of nature in our hands have for many become a relatively forgotten and unused space.  I hope that I'll be able to inspire some of you to get out there and remember the smell of dirt and to peer down into the grass to look for nature's wonderland beneath our feet.  The backyard is waiting to become your very own paradise.  It's a place to host memories for a lifetime, a place for rest, a place for play, and a place you should love to be! 

If you don't already spend much time in your backyard then the first step would be to go outside and have a look around.  What do you have to work with back there?  Big trees? (hammocks for resting perhaps)  Lots of open sunny space? (prime gardening real estate!)  A creek perhaps? (lucky you, your own private water supply and wildlife habitat!)  Poison ivy maybe? (let's hope not!)  Think about how you would like your backyard to function.  Do you have kids and need a safe and intriguing place for them to play and explore their world?  Are you single and interested in entertaining?  Newly married and hoping to enjoy some romantic dinners outside late this summer and early fall? 

Once you answer some of these questions you can begin to form a vision for what your backyard can be like.  If it is full of debris start by clearing all that away - it is always best to have a clean slate.  Then designate zones for the space such as: play, pet, gardening, and rest/relaxation.  Soon you'll start to see what can and will be in each of these areas when you look out the window.  Be patient and unafraid to spend some of your free time doing some manual labor to invest in your haven.  Nothing worth having comes without effort you know.  Sketch up your plan and tape it to the refrigerator so that you see it often.  Don't try to tackle it all at once would be my best advice, along with not underestimating the power of you!  Dream big and enjoy the adventure of getting to know your yard.