My lot is 1/5 of an acre. 1/3 of that is my backyard. That sounds small and it actually is. But, what if you had that all to yourself? Can you say “mancave”. That is what it is like for most of the year. And northern Virginia has the luxury of 4 seasons.
During football season I can bring my TV outside. I got a plastic sawhorse and mounted the TV to that. Then I have a satellite with a cable outside and plug that into the TV. Viola, now all I need is a beverage.
I also have a putting green that my brother-in-law installed for me. It is great when my friends bring over their kids. Of course they always win. #imaloser
Then there is just enough open lawn to play croquet and badminton which I can prepare in 15 minutes.
I also have a firepit with lots of wood and leaves to burn. The subdivision was created just after WWII so there are huge trees everywhere.
And because it is so old, all of nature’s critters like to come and visit. But, you have to pay close attention. They are a little sneaky. One night I was laying out catching some moon rays on a beautiful night. When I heard this crunching noise; I thought it was a neighborhood ferrel cat that I sometimes put some cat food out. But, instead it was a raccoon whom now I call Crunchy. But, instead of chasing him off I just layed there. And 5 minutes later 2 of his little Cubs showed up. And boy was that cool. They started chasing each around the ‘small’ yard like they were playin tag. And I blame Crunchy for digging up a cherry tomatoe I had planted on the side yard because it started to go bad. Then a few months later I found it growing in the front yard under some bushes. I guess it went in one way and out the other.
I’ve seen a possum, but, not lately. Maybe he was chased out by the local fox or racoon. Unfortunately we had a couple rats. But, I think the rat trap made them move to another neighborhood. There are a couple stone retaining walls which used to house a few chipmunks. But, 1 died in a rat trap. It scared them to move to my neighbors yard. Except yesterday there were two ferrel cats ready to pounce at something in the stone wall. Then we have the deer. I think they work for the gardening center because they always remove my flowers. Once I saw two deer standing there and countering them there were these 2 cats 10 feet away. They all stared each other down like they were going to fight. The cats even hissed at them like they were gonna attack.
Talk about squirrelly? One squirrel had the audacity to eat some of the cat food. So me being the hero I reached down to pick up the bowl. And guess what! The #÷%£₩ squirrel swiped it’s paw at me and scratched the #)+@^ out of me. No, I didn’t cry, but, it left 4 little bleeding scratches in a row.
Of course there are many species of birds of which I donate food. The previous owner left me a stack of rotten wood. There a piliated wood pecker found himself a feast. That bird was pecking so hard it sounded like a machine gun and wood was flying all over.
Sometimes I pitch up my tent. My “favorite” neighbor calls it my dog house. I wonder what that means.
Note: today I saw a chipmunk, 1st time in 20 years!
Sweet little blog post! You articulated so well my own experience in my backyard. It’s nice to have a little
oasis of woods and greenery in the DMV area
Daniel, thank you for sharing your beautiful post about your backyard paradise! It was a joy to read about how you have transformed your outdoor space into a serene and peaceful haven. I wanted to ask about your process for selecting and arranging plants in your backyard. You seem to have a great eye for creating a cohesive and visually appealing landscape. Do you have any tips for someone new to gardening and landscaping or any favorite plants or flowers you recommend for creating a beautiful, low-maintenance backyard?