Weeding is Fundamental

Yesterday, I spent much of the afternoon filling our yard with holes.  Not sure if this was a good thing to do. I used a Weed Hound and a relatively tiny Dandelion Digger aka, "Spud." I've always thought dandelions were pretty, but since our yard was left untouched/cultivated for years, they've sort of taken over.  Eventually, I'd like to plant some perennials and have a garden. This is just not possible in the yard's current state.  So, I've given up exercise class for the near future and will be getting my squats and boot camp tug-of-war sessions in through cultivating the art of weeding.

On another note, what is the best way to cook dandelion greens?  Last year in Alaska, we tried picking some leaves and frying them up, but they were super bitter!  I'd like to try this again, but am not quite sure I want to relive that experience...

Our Garden

Although my husband was born and raised in Alaska and I'm pretty much an urban dweller, he enjoys doing much of the indoor work on our new bungalow and I cannot get enough of gardening.

Now, "gardening" is a pretty loose term. So far, I've raked the front and back lawns, which yielded about 4 bags full of organic and non-organic material. This accomplished, I proceeded to borrow a tool from our next-door-neighbor to pull the weeds. A virgin weed-puller, I got about one-sixteenth of the rear yard done before calling it quits. I did not know that weed roots could grow to be the size of turnips if left to their own devices!

Today it's sleeting, which is typical for a Chicago Spring, so no garden work but I'm rearing to go back! I don't know much about greening spaces, but I do know that I'm thrilled to have the possibility of transforming our little patch into a sanctuary in which we can enjoy the nature's fruits!

Here's what the yard looks like now.

This is what we're going for.

Now, we may not get there this year or the next, but the vision has been established!