The Real "Before" and "After" Shots

Weeks ago I tried to show you "Before" and "After" shots of the whole house from the front. That, however, was when the old photos were still "locked" and so I had to use a photo of the front of the house taken after construction began and on a very dreary day. Not a fair comparison. I took a new photo of the front of the house yesterday so that you can see the flowers now that they've settled in as well as the newly installed pathway lights (in the foreground). The photo of the original cedar bungalow was taken in the summer of 2004 and shows the place off to its best advantage. Folks around here keep remarking that our "new" house looks very "New England" (although some who say that have never been to New England). We think it just looks "country cottagy." We do know what they mean, though; somehow our American sensibilities must have come up with the ideas that changed the look and feel of the place. Everyone who passes by pauses to look. It would be silly not to admit how proud we are of the new look, whatever you choose to call it.

As for the garden, that will take much more time and a whole lot more effort. Yesterday I resumed the task of cutting back the side garden that sits in the L formed by the front entry and the dining/sitting area that juts out at the front. I tackled the Broom now that it has stopped blooming, cutting it back so mercilessly that Don feared for its life. The pile of debris was so high, it looked like a whole new bush had sprung up behind me! While I was at it, I pruned back (much less drastically) a few of the shrubs that were growing around and beneath the Broom. (Before I cut the Broom back, I couldn't see or get to these other shrubs.) Holly has turned out to be the bane of my existence. I love the way it looks; it is so sturdy and its leaves are so deep green and glossy, but it is incredibly invasive, not to mention annoyingly prickly. I cut Holly out every chance I get.

Don already had two bundles of debris from my Sunday afternoon pruning to take to the skip. We knew there was no way the detritus from yesterday's work would fit in the car too. So while Don went to the skip in Crieff and ran a few other errands, I chopped the piles of debris I had created into much smaller bits and piled them on the new blue tarp. Then I clipped up the Holly and other thorny bits and put them into the newly emptied garden waste container. It is now halfway full and we have 2 weeks to wait before the next uplift.

I am thinking that today will be the day to get out there with the electric trimmers and shape some things up. Once I've done that--and cleaned up after myself--I'll be able to see what else needs to be done. The trouble with overgrowth is that it prevents you from seeing what is really there. I am beginning to see a great deal of difference in this particular area that I've been concentrating on and am now anxious to finish what I've started. For one thing, there are many more areas that desperately need attention, but for another, I would like to see the real progress and enjoy it from all angles. At least I can say I am getting there.