Tractor Work Part II

The tractor work around the house is going on really well. The work will probably be done by the end of the day. We are only having one acre done, and the back acre left alone for now.

The is the small fenced in area in the back yard. The soil looks like it is ready for planting grass seeds. Before the tractor tilled this area, it was all hard and dry.

This is the east side of our property. Looks good to me! :-)

This is the west side of the front yard. Doug pulled down the old and crumbling fence so that the tractor work can be done that much better around the border. This is actually where Doug and I had planned to build a pond. That project will have to be put on hold for now because we have young children. Young children around a body of water is a lethal combination. The other problem with having a pond right now is the leaves from the eucalyptus trees that lined the west border is only going to clog the pond.

Home improvement involves a lot of work, time and money. :-(

Pergola

What is a pergola? [ Frankensteina wants to know. :-) ]

A pergola is a garden structure with an open wooden-framed roof, often latticed, supported by regularly spaced posts or columns. The structure, often covered by climbing plants such as vines or roses, shades a walk or passageway.


This is the pergola that we built on the west side of our house. It is a shade structure but not to give shade to a walk or passageway. It is a stand alone structure.

We had it fenced in because we wanted it to be a privates space. Eventually that is where our hot tub is going to be. Usually you do not put a roof on the pergola but we are going to put a clear roof over ours. With a permanent roof on it, we'll be able to keep the area under it relatively dry. We'll be able to install some ceiling fans and light fixtures on the ceiling too. I hope to make it a tropical paradise. :-)



Doug needs to order the clear roofing that he wants to put over the top. We've been to Home Depot, Lowe's, and Meeks, and none of them carries the kind of roofing that Doug wants. That is why the pergola is what it is now. Near completion, and not ready for what we want to do with it.

We are planning to build another pergola in the center of our backyard. I hope to be able to plant some creeping plants on that one. Wisteria would be nice but it takes a long time to grow. I thought about morning glory or grape vines. We'll decide once that structure is built.

This is Noel. He is a professional in the construction business. He built the pergola for us. This picture is of him building the pergola at Kathy's house. I did not take any pictures of him building our pergola. Richard (Kathy's husband) is a lot better at documenting the pergola that he had built in his back yard.


This is Kathy and Richard's pergola that Noel built. Our pergola was the guinea pig because it was the first that Noel ever built. This pergola is similar to the one we have.

Right now we have someone do some tractor work around the house. Once the grass is planted and established then we can think about building the next pergola.

Some Tractor Work

Today we have a guy with a tractor come out to our home and do some tractor work on our property.

This year we are really, I mean REALLY, going to start planting the grass in the front and back yards. In California autumn is the best time to plant grass because it is cooler and with the rains in the fall and winter, the grass seeds will grow quite well.

The guy with the tractor is going to till the land, and bury all the large holes that Doug has dug all over the property, and level whatever low spots on the property. We've had a few tractor work done around the property in the past, but hopefully this time it will be the last.

We are not going to attempt to plant the grass ourselves. We'll hire some yard maintenance company to do it. Doug has already laid out all the sprinkler pipes in the ground so once the grass seeds are already planted, they'll get all the necessary watering they need.

We'll also have to hire someone to put up fences in the back acre so we can keep the geese there. Won't do us much good, eh, if the geese starts feeding on the new grass growth!