fun times with shovels and rakes

And here it is, the happy backyard complete with shiny new garage, hops, garden, rain barrels, and dog.  It doesn't look like much, but we've been doing a lot of work to get it to this state.

We hauled about ten truckloads of dirt from the yard waste site in order to fill in the spaces left when the old concrete was pulled up and the holes made by construction equipment.  Sam moved a significant number of bricks and large rocks that were scattered around various part of the landscaping.  I (with the friendly help of a Menard's associate) figured out how to make my own set of connected rain barrels.

We also threw in a haphazard garden, but are glad to see that the spinach, carrots, squash, and tomatillos are coming up, while the tomato and pepper plants we received from friends are not quite dying.  I'm excited about three raspberry plants I received from a fellow homebrewer.  They're on the other side of the garage where they can get more light.

And Millie supervised all of the goings-on without once chasing a rabbit through the neighborhood.  I think she likes the backyard too.

Now all we need to do is set up the grill and have a party!