One day, Mommy and Daddy and Maxwell got into their car and drove to Aloha, Oregon to meet an inspector for the house they wanted to buy. This house was very important to the family, because it would mean that they would have a yard and could try to grow their own food and maybe even have some chickens that would lay eggs! Also, they really wanted a hot tub. Mommy was so happy to see leaves on the ground that she started talking about where to make the leaf pile that would turn to mushy compost for the next year.
Maxwell was pretty bored until his new friends from next door, Maia and Mike, came home from school. They had a momma cat and two tiny black kittens that Maxwell loved. Maxwell went over to their house and played on the trampoline. Then, Maia's mother gave Maxwell a banana which he didn't tell his parents about until bedtime. Maxwell's Mommy called him back to the new house and soon his friends were at the door. Maxwell and his friends looked around the backyard at the new house and poked sticks into the pond until Maxwell's Dad yelled at them to get away from the water. Then, Maxwell found a tiny ladybug magnet and all the children chased it around the yard.
Maxwell's Mommy discovered that the apple tree was actually a cherry tree but she wasn't sure what kind. Daddy discovered a leak in the wax seal of the toilet in the master bathroom (luckily, they happened to be researching was seals while engaging in their futile attempt to tile their bathroom at the condo) and demanded that the sellers fix it right away. Mommy also discovered that the yard was maintained by a million billion toxic chemicals and told Daddy to take a good look at the lawn, because it was never going to look that good again.
Well, it's been a long winter, but the ground is workable again. I spent about 10 hours in January getting rid of the last of the ornamental garden by the side of the house, mainly with a hand ax and some hedge clippers. I know there are many more efficient ways of doing this, but with toddlers running about the yard, I can't really run power tools. Anyway, it's done. Still need to borrow a rototiller this weekend and just kind of mix everything up. Then we need to fence it with chicken wire. I'm planning on cutting down several of the Red Alder trees that have sprouted up in our yard to make fence posts. I figure if they are going to grow in my yard, I might as well use them for something.
