The Yard

Shortly before we closed on the house, the septic system failed. The seller installed a new system, and the contractors re-spread the dirt around and put some grass seed down. It all looked pretty good, particularly since we didn't have to pay for any of it.

But when we had visitors a couple of weeks ago, someone pointed out to me that our dirt patch was pretty bumpy and uneven. While I had certainly noticed that, it didn't really occur to me that I should do anything about it. I guess I subconsciously figured the weight of the grass would level it all out? Now that I've typed that into a computer, it sounds pretty stupid.

Here's a representative view of Twisted Ankle Estates:

My dad suggested I get a landscaper's rake, so I got one and went to work. Since a lot of the dirt was really compacted, I also had to get a hoe. Coors Light provided moral support.

L to R: water bottle, hoe, Coors Light, rake

After getting things relatively flat, I put down some better grass seed than the contractor's mix that was already there. The whole thing took a few hours. It also took several trips to Home Depot. Grass seed bags tell you how much ground they'll cover in terms of tennis-court size. Trying to buy the seed taught me that I apparently have no idea how big a tennis court is. What I initially thought would be sufficient for almost the entire yard barely covered the area of a ping-pong table.

In the end, the dirt yard looked pretty good.