(*My husband is definitely rolling his eye while reading that. But what can I say? I’m a sucker for Dad jokes.)

Without a doubt, the biggest update I have is that I got my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine! Do any other vaccinated people feel like they experienced a piece of history? Though I guess we’ve all lived through historical times of late. My vaccine appointment was about 90 minutes away through beautiful farm country, so I got to drool over the myriad cow fields, vegetable patches, and mammoth barns on the way. It’s funny but now that we’ve started this new lifestyle, I’m seeing the world around me differently. On my morning jogs (since it’s been too pretty to stay inside on my stationary bike), I make note of what edging people use for their gardens, how much mulch is there, and try to test myself on what plants they have growing. I’ve become an expert on spotting the snaking bittersweet vines (cursing under my breath every time). But I’ve also noticed the native black raspberries, arborvitae, and Montauk daisy; all of which I’ve identified on our own property. There are still dozens of things I don’t know the name for, either because they don’t have enough leaves or buds to photograph for my Facebook plant group, or because that task has fallen to the bottom of my priorities list.

The next item of excitement was that the landscapers came for a short, one-day project. They planted a peach tree from their nursery, since I wasn’t confident enough to do that myself. This was done in the back garden (for lack of a better term, though now I guess we’ll call it the “Peach Garden”), where there had been a huge holly bush when we moved in. It had towered over most of the other plants despite being half dead and possibly diseased. My hubs and I went on a “clearing expedition” on one of these recent beautiful days and made the choice to remove it. While I don’t have anything against holly, there is already another bush on the property and this one didn’t look well, for all its girth. And we’ve been interested in making sustainable choices in our gardening, hoping that most of our plants can also be food. So the peach tree inherited this gaping hole in the ground and really transformed a weird, wild space into something that’s starting to resemble a garden. The landscapers weren’t too chatty, so I spied on them from our upstairs window to try and take some mental notes! I’m already planning some apple trees for a neglected garden at the edge of the property that gets a lot of sun, but have never done this on my own before. I did get the guys to share that they put some of their own organic mix in the soil, which was good to know, but not exactly helpful, so I’ll have to do some of my own research there. They also planted some blueberry bushes I recently bought at a nearby blueberry nursery. Again, this is something I’d like to do myself in the future but wanted to see it done by professionals first. I’m so glad I did because the mess of a grassy garden plot where they were destined was totally transformed after the weeding, mulching, and planting. OK, the blueberry bushes look kind of like Charlie Brown Christmas trees at the moment, but they’ll get there! The guys were able to leave some of the existing irises, which should bloom soon. Lastly, they installed some rose and lilac bushes in the front of the house. It’s a big, bare hill that clearly had at one point been manicured and tended, but now looks strangely sparse. The bushes are still young, of course, so while they may get a few buds this year I’ll have to be patient for them to develop in their new surrounding. Lilacs are my absolute favorite flower. I used to run around to all the corner bodegas in the city, snatching up armloads of them before their season was over. Actually, as a kid, our family rented a house with a long driveway lined with lilac bushes. For a few weeks out of the year I would roll the window down of our station wagon so I could breathe in that delicious scent as we drove up to the house. And, confession here, after the landscapers left and I had observed how and where they planted the bushes, I ran to the garden center and bought two more lilac bushes to space out across the front hill. This was shockingly more affordable than their 2 hour project had been, but it’s the agreement I made with myself for this first year. Actually, my husband and I both discussed the merits of having pros come in to inspect and update whatever needed tending so that we could feel confident and safe in our new home. And then in future years, we can try to do most of the maintenance ourselves from what we’d observed.

Speaking of gardeners, our backyard beautification plan has 2 parts. First was to have the landscapers come in for a few very specific tasks. I could have had them totally overhaul the whole thing: weeding, edging, installing, trimming…but it would have cost me more than a year’s savings, so…that was out. Besides, I wanted to be a part of the process and not just sit back and have someone “work my land” for me. So I decided to also hire an organic gardener who clearly loves her job and gardens in general. We’ve been chatting on the phone and via email, and I’ve given her updates on what’s come in and what we’re envisioning. She only works with indigenous plants, which I find really cool and I have no problem with (and also was why I asked the landscapers to plant things she couldn’t). Maybe the best part of all is that she encourages her clients to work alongside her, learning about their gardens and lowering the cost of labor. It seems like she’s not so concerned with losing future business as with sharing her love of plants. What a beautiful thing! Based on the most recent photos I showed her, she commended our work on the bittersweet removal (hooray for us!), and noticed that grass had taken over most of the backyard gardens. So she suggested I get a large quantity of mulch for her to spread over cardboard on those grassy areas we want to tamp down. This sounds easy, yes? But remember, total nube here. I went on a little rabbit hole of mulch research (what was it made of? Why do I see it in so many colors in people’s gardens? How do I find the best product for me?), and went with the option I always prefer: organic and local. To explain, mulch can be bought from the big box stores BUT they more often than not dye it or add literal junk to the product in bulk. Since this was going to be seeping into the ground of future food, I wasn’t comfortable with that. Not to mention what the runoff would mean to our nearby pond or the water table in general. So…good old Craigslist showed me a listing for a local landscape supplier who delivers untreated 100% tree bark mulch right to your house. I was told by the gardener we’d need 5 yards to start, so to be safe I got 10 (knowing that I’d keep going and apply my newfound skills to the rest of the untamed gardens). And now there is a Massive Mulch Mound sitting in our driveway until the gardener comes, since depositing it anywhere else would mean the grass we do want to keep would be damaged. (Thank goodness we have a circular driveway!) And I’m counting down the days until the gardener comes, partly because this mulch mound is an eyesore but even more so that I’m thrilled I’ll learn more about plants. Our plants!

It’s been so satisfying watching things grow. And it feels like we really are watching it happen. Each day, a bare patch of earth has a new bud or the grey branches have some blooms. None of us can stay inside for very long, especially Sadie- who’s two modes are zooming around outside or passed out on the couch. We even had a long term guest recently, one of my best friends who was visiting from the city (and who’s been fully vaccinated for months.) She and I got our hands dirty every day that the weather allowed and her help was so valuable. And the work that she put in will mean that I think of her as those places continue to shape and develop into more beautiful foliage. She even assisted in a project I’ve been meaning to do for weeks, which was protecting the duck run from aerial predators. As I mentioned last time, there are so many hawks circling overhead which normally I would find very cool, but now distress me because of the threat they pose to the ducks. I’d read on numerous blogs and groups that fishing line can be strung from the tops of your fence posts to create a visual quagmire for hawks. Apparently, they normally swoop down at close to 60 mph and barely break speed before flying away with their prey, so seeing the zigzagging string in their way is enough to deter them from even trying. I’ve got to say, it looks pretty impressive to me; sort of like a Mission Impossible web of lasers. And I wish I could show you what it looks like but it won’t show up in pictures! Thankfully, hawks have better eyes than my iPhone camera.

I’m also happy to share that we’ve met a few of our neighbors. My husband struck up a conversation with the people across the street when they were out doing their own yard work last week. Within a few minutes, they asked us if we knew “the history of the house,” meaning the criminal activity by the previous owner. Honestly, I’m glad they brought it up because it feels like the elephant in the room. At least we could be in on the discussion as opposed to being talked about behind peoples’ backs. And I’m hoping that with more of these conversations and neighborly interactions, the elephant will cease to exist. And now that the weather is changing, we’re all out on our porches in the evenings or doing yard work on the weekends. So there are more opportunities to wave or even strike up some small talk. I don’t blame people for keeping to themselves, though it might mean a little loneliness for us for a while. Between Covid and the wariness of the new kids on the block, it makes sense. I’m again so grateful that our friends and family are starting to get vaccinated and are willing to make the trip up to see us and lend a hand. Another of our guests recently spent the morning hanging a tree swing that had been lying on the ground. It honestly hadn’t been on my to-do list, with all the weeding, planting, and research that’s weighing on me. But as soon as it was up, I couldn’t resist. And while swinging I remembered being a little kid at our first family home where we had a big rope swing in our front yard. I don’t care how old a person is; they always turn into a kid when they get on a swing. Now that it’s there I’d do well to take a break on it when I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed.

And, of course, I’m counting down the days til the ducks arrive. If all goes well and USPS is on their game (please, everyone…say a prayer!), they should arrive in NINE DAYS. My husband has already legitimately asked me if I plan on coming to bed in the evenings or doing yard work during the day, because we both know I’ll have a hard time leaving their side. As I’ve come to realize, this is really the kick off to our new life. Yes, the move and the house were a big change. But this is the gateway to something else. Because if I can pull this off, I’m then allowing myself to get goats and bees. I can’t really wrap my head around that yet, since there’s already so much for me to process with the ducks and the gardens. These last few weeks have been nail-biters, as I’m waiting for the animals to come and the frost to pass. I’m ready. Well, ready as I can be. So for now I’m scrolling through my plant and duck groups on Facebook, learning what I can and counting down the days.