Taming the Desert

Sometimes downloading pictures on this site doesn't go as I planned.....so deal with it folks. :) This was supposed to be pictures of before, followed by pictures of after....but they put themselves where they wanted to go, so use your imagination. It still works out. :) This top picture is a shot from last summer when the addition was being built and we hadn't yet started making the waterfall area. It was a huge pile of dirt and rocks we kept throwing there as we did stuff in the back yard. It's been a huge process over the last 5 years to tame the yard. I don't have pictures, unfortunately, but our first year here I didn't even venture out into the back yard because it was completely covered in those weeds that get taller than me. The next year we chopped down the weeds, put up the block wall, built the swing set and built the planter for the fruit trees. And so on and so on....
This is one of the flowers I planted on the waterfall today. It's an ice plant in my favorite color. It seriously makes me happy to look out and see the bright orange coming out from the rocks. This plant does really well here and needs little water.
Here is a picture I took today of the yard.
Look, I'm almost done with the rocks! One wheelbarrow at a time takes a lot of freakin' time, but I'm anticipating being done in a month or so. This is the front of the waterfall....yes, it works.....I paid a guy to come do it after DJ promised for 5 years to do it and never did it. :)
I thought the coolest thing the waterfall maker guy added to this waterfall was the steps you can see here. I'm still trying to tame the side of the waterfall that you see on the right side of the picture. On the top is the fire pit and in the back there you can see the baby grape vines. The bucket is what I am using to take gravel up to the top of the waterfall.
Here's another "before" picture taken last year. Me and the Boo did a lot of wheelbarrowing rocks last summer. :)

I love being outside, so this backyard project makes me happy. :) As soon as I get the rock pile all shoveled down and the weeds all covered up, I want to build a greenhouse and an arbor and fill the yard with happy plants. :) After it's done, I'll invite you all over for a BBQ. :)