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The backyard needs lots of attention, too, but it is looking better than in years past because we have the stairs off the back patio now. I put in some homemade flower beds and plan to try moonflowers trained to climb the lattice. When my neighbor's house burned down last summer he let me dig up all the hostas in his backyard before the place was bulldozed. They've come back in full force despite my hasty planting. I'll plant some annuals in with those and mulch in the next few weeks. I'll probably move those stepping stones, also salvaged from the burned house and plopped there.
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The picture of the back patio is dark but hides all the debris blown around from our last round of storms. Our house backs up to woods and it's almost impossible to keep the patio clear of all the tree droppings that fall. I moved my iron bakers rack from McKinney, Texas out back and put some dwarf Alberta spruces in planters on each side. I had envisioned twinkle lights out back since we moved in and there they are. I want to put some succulents in little pots on the rack and I'll do some votives, too.
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I moved my bird feeder up here a few weeks ago and I've seen the cutest little birds flock to it. Sadly, though, I also found a mess of feathers and a streak of blood below, which I can only guess happened at the hands of my murderous outdoor cat, Maya Angelou.
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While my dad was visiting this past weekend he helped Ryan put some galvanized panels along the bottoms of these screened doors leading to the porch. One of them was coming apart for some reason. They're hard to see in this dark picture, but they look like something you'd see on an old general store door, I think. Very cute, Dad!