In My Backyard

It's been a strange winter here in Colorado. While the mountains are getting plenty of snow, we here out on the front range are having record high temperatures. To add to the confusion we've had one of those weekends I'm always grousing about. Yesterday - snow. Today - warm enough to not only melt the snow, but open the windows. I call this "snow boot and flip flop weather."

Here's a view out my kitchen window yesterday:

I always think it's lovely when the snow highlights the flagstone as it did here before it really got going snowing.

I really love my flagstone patio; I dreamed it up over one long winter three years ago and then had a chance to watch it come to life. Here are some before and after photos:

We started out with prairie and had to bring in dirt to build the patio area up properly.

It's alot of work to cut and arrange the flagstone...it was like a big jigsaw puzzle. I love the natural look of it.

Then we put in the netted, water conserving sprinkler system and some grass.

Snoopy was just a puppy that summer. Here he is playing with Maggie. Later that summer, he'd chew a hole in that ball and get his head stuck in it. If I'd had a camcorder, I could've won America's Funniest Home Videos with that footage!

Next we finished the flagstone and started planting.

I arranged the junipers around the perimeter and hoped they'd act like a windbreak.

Last but not least, some tinted concrete stairs.

Snoopy was happy about the stairs, because he was way too small to jump the one big block step we'd had until then!

It was so satisfying to see the finished patio; it was like we'd gained another room in the house!

Can you tell I'm itching for the day we can get out the chair cushions and begin to enjoy it again? But, here in Colorado, it's not even Spring yet, much less Summer.