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!


Deer in the snow

The deer have been a constant delight (and an occasional annoyance when they eat the things we plant) but they are never more stunning than when it's snowing in our Missouri backyard. These shots are from late February 2021.






It's Snowing!


 
So happy to get a little snow on this January day. Not much of it stuck, but it sure was pretty coming down.

Living in the woods and loving it!

The woods to the west of us are just lush on this last day of July 2020. We've had lots of rain and the creek is full, which is just how I like it. (You can just see it if you peek beneath the trees.) I've surprised myself realizing that I'm more of a woods girl even than I was a prairie girl. 

The Wonders of a Screened Porch

We've never had a screened porch before, but I can tell you now that I don't ever want to be without one again! Our wish-list for a house in Missouri had a covered porch on it, but we got so much more in this glorious space high above the back yard.Not only is there a ceiling fan and screens all around, but since we're protected in a "valley" at the bottom of a hill, we have very little wind, and with our wide eaves, we can sit out here, even when it's pouring rain, and barely get damp.

My houseplants made the trip from Kansas in the back of our van and seem no worse for the wear. In fact, they love Missouri's humidity. It's been hot, hot, hot, and yet here on the screened porch, it's been wonderfully comfortable morning and evening for us to sit out here and dream.
And of course, these two sweet girls (and their three boy cousins) are who we dream about...and the REAL reason we are loving everything about living in Missouri!