Before & After

Before

After

I am not one for 'before' and 'after' pictures. The 'before' bothers me so much that's why I changed it. When I was going through old photos discs I found this picture of our hillside when I started planting it. The real 'before' was just a blank piece of mulched hillside. That is why no picture exists.  I could not stand to look at it.

We moved from Ohio back to my hometown more out of necessity than want. When we moved into my parents house our main goal was to make it livable. It was in a huge state of disrepair. We were going to fix it up and move out. My Mom was in a nursing home and later passed away. My Father developed Alzheimer's disease and also passed away. A strange thing happened. The house I always was embarrassed about became a house I was starting to love. The yard became my sweet obsession. My mom used to work out in the yard all the time and come in with scratches and be all sweaty. I thought that looked like misery. By the time I got in this house the yard was a blank slate. My dad had most things ripped out so it was easier to care for. I was like an unstoppable force. I had gardened at apartments that we had lived in but something about this place made me go nuts. Being out in the yard made me feel close to my mom. It took my mind off of all the other crap that was going on in my life. Some people drink, I garden (and drink). Now I come in all scratched up and sweaty and dirty and usually a much nicer person.