It has been a while since my last progress report, but only because it sometimes feels like we haven’t accomplished very much.  I finally took some pictures of recent developments and compared those taken when we started and I made a nice discovery.  We have accomplished a lot!!

When we started out the entire yard looked like this:

We have been chopping, cutting, mowing, scraping, and sweating.  This overgrown mess is pretty much cleared up and most of the results looks like this: 

An enormous pile of wood chips that we can use for ground cover or mulching.  Its amazing how an acre of scrub and dead branches can be reduced to a controllable pile of potential!

Remember the gazebo around the old jacuzzi on the back of the house?  Well, Jim was examining it and discovered that not only was it in horrible condition, but the way it was put up was causing some major problems with the house.

So the entire thing was disassembled and removed.  The damaged roof, base of the house and cracked cement is now visible and able to be fixed — just not immediately.

We will be removing the jacuzzi later (Jim has to figure out how it was connected to the plumbing and electrical system first).  I’m not sure what we will be doing with it, if it works because it is a very small unit, but I’m sure we’ll figure something out.

So what did we do with the old gazebo? Well, in the center of the property, where I had made a small mountain of wood chips, seemed to be the perfect spot for a future picnic area for BBQ’ing, drinking morning coffee, and simply relaxing.  So, the old gazebo was erected there!  It will require major repairs and a new roof, but we picture this spot to be perfect for future activities!

The archway with tiered logs will also need work and we will want to completely redo the steps, but it seems that this will be a perfect spot.  It’s the very center of the property, so we will be able to easily access the chicken/pig run, the round house, the future garden plot, Jim’s workshop and work area, and the house from this spot.  It has enough shade to be comfortable in the summer and has enough room for a nice picnic table plus add the grill and smoker.   Ah, the dreams we have!

We are facing a minor delay at the moment, however.  My poor hubby was working with the bobcat, stopped and jumped out to move some stuff, and jumped right on a board that had a nail sticking straight up — went right through his boot.  The doctor said he will be fine, gave Jim a tetanus shot, and advised him to take it easy for a while.  So, some recoup time will be taken before we can finish putting up the fencing on the back corner.  Think a week’s delay would be sufficient time?  Sure wouldn’t want my hubby’s foot falling off!