Our favorite spot in the house

The screened porch is still our favorite spot in the entire house, and now that Fall 2025 is close at hand, we've been enjoying the cooler mornings out here with a cup of coffee and hot chocolate. 

 

Summer 2025 comes to an end

The dry creek is ever a work in progress. Our oldest grandson helped Ken adjust some of the flagstone and rocks to create a nicer flow and some small "rapids," though we haven't had enough rain recently to test out their work.

 

We had two sets of twin fawns this spring and we've enjoyed watching them in the yard.

Mornings are starting to be cool enough again that we can sit out by the fire with our breakfast. 

The purple coneflower seeds that Ken's cousin gave us have done beautifully this year. We're hoping they fill up this area in front of the house.

We'd wanted to tile the front porch for a long time but needed to find someone who could correct the slope so the rain doesn't pool on the porch. The guy who built our fireplace and walk-in shower did a beautiful job and got the slope just right. This was a small project with a big impact, and we're thrilled to have it done.

 

Spring 2024 has Sprung

Four of our little grandkids came to help pick up sticks in the yard after a spring storm. Then both of our daughters and their families came for Easter and we hunted eggs in the yard. We miss the flowers from our past gardens, but we still love watching the deer too much to fence them out. And the yard serves us very well for the way we live.

Deer Salad

I filled the cart and porch with mums early this fall and they lasted about two days before the deer discovered them. :( About the only plants we've discovered that the deer don't bother are lantana, geraniums, begonias, and caladiums. We love watching the deer and they provide endless entertainment and no effort, so we just enjoy the few flowers we can have and don't worry about the rest. But I do miss our days in Kansas when we could have all manner of flowers and bushes without worrying they'd turn into Deer Salad!

 

August 2023 Enjoying the firepit

 Even though it's the height of summer, the mornings have been cool enough that we've enjoyed eating our breakfast on the patio by the firepit.

Summer 2023

 

In July, our grandsons helped Ken do some work on the dry creek in our Missouri yard, moving some rocks around and widening a portion of the creek to accommodate more water. It's great to have some strong muscles to help us out with tasks like these. And always fun to spend time with the boys!

We enjoy the creek so much, especially when it rains.

Winter 2022-2023

We've been blessed with more snow than any year we've lived here in Missouri, and it's a good thing since we've had much less rain than usual. The wildlife in our backyard is a constant source of entertainment. Besides the many deer, we've seen squirrels, fox, possums, raccoons, rabbits, groundhog, armadillo, coyote, skinks, snakes, hummingbirds, and all kinds of other birds.

Summer and Fall 2022 Update

 Our three oldest grandsons helped us string party lights and put together a fire pit in August and we have enjoyed it so much. Several wiener roasts and S'mores parties have been had, and until it got too cold, Ken and I often took our breakfast out to the patio. Can't wait until the weather is nice enough to do that again!

Spring 2022 Update

 

Spring 2022 and we are SO enjoying our beautiful backyard with the dry creek working great, deer still coming around, and everything green and lush. My favorite room in our house is still the screened porch, which we've been able to use three long seasons and more and that provides great views of all the backyard activity, including the concerts the birds provide daily. Life is good.

Lord willing and the creek don't rise...

We are just loving the dry creek we had put in last summer. We've seen it through three seasons now and I can't wait to see it in the spring. After a little snafu when we got four inches of rain in less than an hour just hours after the creek was finished (thankfully, the landscapers returned and quickly repaired the damage free of charge) the creek has been doing its job perfectly! Here are a few images from late fall 2021. The grandkids think the dry creek makes a great playground. And we've loved having the older boys help with the raking!

A fun backyard project

We are still loving our Missouri home and have recently made some big changes to the backyard here. To add beauty and control the flow of rainwater that sometimes threatens to get too close to the house, we had some major landscaping done in August of this year (2021). We're so pleased with how this dry creek and stairway turned out! Here's a little photo tour from start to finish. (Well, gardens are never truly finished, and we do hope to eventually add some plantings tucked in among the rocks.) 

The view from the dining room is so pretty!