I can’t help myself, or rather, I enjoy keeping busy with improvement projects in and around the house.  The lot already has some nice gardens and a grand design is forming in my mind.  I’ve done quite a bit of wilderness taming around the edges and have started planting the shrub layer.  I’m also letting the lawn go wild as there is no lawn in the vision.

I am in full battle with the deer.  Turns out they’ll eat anything, especially new young plants recently placed.  I’ve come to the conclusion that fencing the yard is the only winning strategy.  Now that’s a multi-year project that I’ve started with a fence across the back line, almost finished in this picture.

With the back fence in place I’m trying to protect the back yard with temporary barriers and am learning just how difficult it is to keep the deer out.

The other project that I’ve just started is the replacement of the front porch.  Today I completed removal of the old rotten deck.  Tomorrow I’ll plan the next step and create a Home Depot shopping list for the next trip to Vancouver.  The new deck will be smaller and surrounded by garden.