A new back yard

We bought this back yard (came with a house) about 10 years ago so our planned puppies could have somewhere to run about.

There was an enormous play structure, which we said we didn't want and the sellers assured us they would remove. I'm sure you can guess how that turned out.

We kept it for years, because it seemed too good to just trash, and one of our daughters got some use from it.

Over the last couple of years the garden deteriorated quite badly, and Caly's alergies got worse - to the point that she could not got out in the back yard at all without madly licking her paws.

Thus began the project to redo the back yard.

Finding a designer with compatible ideas was a bit of a challenge, but we were very happy with the one we eventually selected. She provided a list of recommended contractors.

Then began the fun of trying to get one to do the job. We'd just about given up when we finally got a response, and away we went.

The end result looks good, about 3 times as much lawn as previously, we kept the few big trees that provide shade, and planted a few more. Mostly we got rid of the cacophony of semi-wild and uncoordinated plants. Not to mention large areas of tan bark and volcanic gravel which were unpleasant under foot for everyone.

The dogs now have a huge area to run about it, and shoes have largely solved the paw licking problem. They don't stay on long if the dogs are rushing about madly (like milli-seconds ;-) but once they calm down, they can explore the garden for hours without getting into trouble.

Caly has selected a spot under one of the big trees as "her spot". She explores the far reaches of the garden for the choicest bits of tan bark, takes them back to her spot and chews them up into little bits. She's very conscientious about it, probably isn't doing her any good - but she clearly enjoys it.

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Author:	sjg@crufty.net /* imagine something very witty here */