Of Pandora's Box and Falling Dominoes

More Lessons from the Garden

 
Have you ever avoided a project because you knew it was going to be yucky and/or just plain work?  Welcome to the saga of our back yard mini remodel.  If you have been following my blog, you know that we recently finished a complete re-do of our front yard after deciding to remove our invasive, 35-year-old, spectacular shade tree.  It was a bitter-sweet decision, but in the end, one we were glad we made.  Several others neighbors have followed suit and removed trees that should never have been planted in our tiny front yards.

We live in zero-lot-line homes, euphemistically called "garden" or "patio" homes.  They aren't townhouses or condos but single dwellings that were pieced together on two adjoining streets checkerboard style.  That means the view out my back deck is of my neighbors' walls.  It was a concern when I bought the house but I've come to love the complete privacy we have.  And we treat our back "yard" like an outdoor room so it makes our small house feel larger.  In fact, most people head straight out back when they come over because they love the serene, tropical-like haven that we created.

(rock waterfall in back corner

So back to the mini remodel.  We have a custom-build waterfall in the back corner, built by the previous owner's son.  It really is the crowning glory of the back yard, both in visual beauty and soothing sound.  However, it was built right up next to a wooden wall which meant inevitable problems.  Sure enough, the water splashing from the waterfall, combined with relentless glare of the sun, eventually rotten the wood along the edge of the rocks.  No biggie except that wooden wall is our neighbor's bedroom wall.

 (rock removed to reveal rotted wood)

We stalled as long as possible because we knew it meant taking down part of the waterfall to replace the wood.  Oops, pandora's box has been opened.  Let the dominoes fall as the project blossomed into more than we expected.  Isn't that true of so many things in life?  We either avoid until it becomes a bigger problem than it started out to be.  Or the surface issue doesn't reveal the bigger problem underneath and we have no idea what we're in for.  Sigh, here we go again!

(and the waterfall came tumbling down)