Ground Zero

tarazkp(86)

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What a diff'rence a day made
Twenty-four little hours

Ground zero.

The morning started with ripping out the stumps from the two birch trees we felled earlier in the year, and unfortunately destroying the play house, as while many were interested to get it for free, none were willing to organize the transport. And then it was on to all kinds of digging. Quite a lot of earth has been moved so far, cutting away the drop to the garage on the right, starting the trench at the back of the lot to bury the pipe to move water away to the road, and scraping the driveway a little.

You might notice the big puddle on the left of the last picture. That hole was dry when they made it, but it is quickly filling up as the amount of water held in the ground in that area is huge, which is why we have had to get this done in the first place.

Can you see it?

Almost there.

Smallsteps was dismayed when she came home from school today and saw the state of the yard. She thinks it is going to take many years to get it usable again and well, she isn't completely wrong. Even after the wall is built, we aren't going to be able to plant any grass until at least next spring, since we are now too far into the off-season for it to grow. And of course, the terrace that we are planning isn't going to be done next spring either, because the price to do it is so high.

But, what we will be able to do next spring after the grass is growing, is put down the stones in the normal traffic areas, and bark chips for where we will start our gardens again in planter boxes. Smallsteps is pretty excited about having her own garden to take care of and is considering what she is going to grow. While I don't have many great memories with my mother, there were a few days I remember spending out in the garden with her, and I really enjoyed it.

Perhaps forty years later will be the time I start gardening with enjoyment again.

It really does look like a construction site for the moment though, and it will look pretty bare for the next eight months. From December through to about March or April however, it will likely be covered by a layer of snow anyway.

I think that considering we have a 1960s house, once there is some structure in the garden, it is actually going to look relatively modern, because our house is rendered and has relatively fresh paint on the walls. With some greenery put in, some decking and perhaps a glasshouse in the back yard, it might even be attractive.

Perhaps hard to see through the mud at this stage though.

Tomorrow they will come back and continue on with the long list of tasks and they will likely be here for the next couple weeks. The thing that is going to take the most time (and money) is building of the retaining wall. The work portion is about 60% of the total, which is also why we are going out on a limb and getting it all done now, because the tax return percentage will change from next year. As long as it is all billed in 2024, we will get a tax redaction of 50% for the work performed, whilst next year it will be a 20% reduction. It is a big, big difference in the total cost, but we won't see the reduction benefits until 2026.