Taming the Jungle

When we first toured Southmore House we were disappointed by how small the backyard seemed to be.  We looked around and saw a small grassy spot with a jungle behind and assumed that the fence was just beyond the tree line.  It was only when we really explored our jungle after we purchased the property that we realized just how big the yard truly was. 

Our property, we were pleased to discover, is 6,250 sq./ft., which meant that our backyard is bigger than we could have dreamed.  Unfortunately, since nobody has lived in the house in at least a decade and the yard has gone wild for longer than that, we then had a sizable project on our hands (as if this whole house isn't project enough).  Our backyard had been overrun by Golden Rain Trees and by vines, the likes of which I wish that I could tell you but my vine knowledge is sorely lacking these days.  When James and I set about chopping down the tens of trees in our backyard, we assumed that it would take ages to make any sort of visible progress on the yard.  We soon learned the power of happy helpers, and decided to solicit as much help as possible.

The help began with our next-door neighbor, Rick.  Rick and his wife Sandy purchased the house next door to our Southmore House five years ago as an investment.  They saw how the neighborhood was improving, and wanted to buy a house inside the city before they could be priced out of it.  What they did not take into account when buying the house was just how long it would be before somebody came along and fixed up the house next door.  They have watched over the years as the house fell more into disrepair and the backyard grew wilder.  If they were ever to sell their property for a profit, the house next door would need some maintenance.  They were visibly happy to meet us, and even happier to see us take such an excited and keen interest in getting started with repairs.  Our excitement was contagious, and it was one of those exciting excursions that I took over to our new house during which Rick declared, "I'm coming over, and I'm bringing my chainsaw." 

James and I weren't yet ready to chop down everything in the backyard, because where would we put it?  Heavy trash was two months away and it is far easier to store trees upright and firmly planted in the ground than dying in a pile somewhere.  Rick's excitement could not be contained, though, and he chopped down anything he could get his saw on.  Later that week James came over to glance at the progress and decided to try his hand with an ax.  It was with that ax and his downward swing where we realized the extent to the overgrowth in the yard. Where we looked and saw earth, grass, vines, and trees, the ax felt the hard surface of a driveway.  Prior to this ax swing we did not realize that the driveway extended far beyond where we had believed that it did.  We did not realize that the trees growing on the right side of the yard were trees that had learned to thrive from cracks in old concrete. We would need to chop down these trees and root them out, but it would be too much for us to do on our own. The first weekend we had friends and family come help us on Southmore we hadn't really anticipated just how much a group of hard workers can motivate each other.  After hours of sweat, a little bit of blood, and a lot of tenacity, we were able to clear the vast majority of our overwhelming jungle.  There is still a lot to do, but we are happy with the progress we have made in the last few months.