Why we needed a backyard

House hunting for our move to Birmingham was a very stressful, arduous task for me.  As I kept running into dead ends I had to let go of one housing preference after another (ok, fine, I can live without a dishwasher, not a big deal) until I got down to a list of, in my mind, Absolutely Important Priorities.  Then I had to start letting go of those and it was very painful (what else do you want me to give up for this, God?).  About a week before Beatrice was born I was in tears frequently about the prospect of living in an apartment complex and not having a backyard and taking myself in circles trying to rationalize with my heart that we do not NEED a backyard of our own and that I did not NEED to garden and I wouldn't have any money to do so anyway and that people survive very WELL over the world in apartment complexes... so be at peace!  So I made myself look at one expensive apartment after another until God showed me this affordable complex.  The lady at the office said the unit had a small fenced yard and I cried.  She probably thought I was crazy.  

I may be crazy but I have a BACKYARD!  As hard as this transition has been for me and as much as I have struggled with depression throughout the process, having a bit of ground to myself is such an important therapy for me.  

And not just for me.  I think the girls would have gone insane too without getting to have their own, safe, corner of the great outdoors to pitch their tent in.  Or build their fort in.  Or fly their fairies.  Or whatever.

The back fence is lined with huge, beautiful canna lilies, which made the perfect roofing material for the lean-to.

In the first week of being here Elsa exclaimed "This is the best yard ever!  Its so wild!"  Since we've moved, our bug collection has doubled in size, and we regularly catch (and release) frogs, lizards, and all sorts of bugs.  (But not roaches.  My little innocent nature lover wanted to collect the first one she saw and I am still trying to explain why we collect just about any bug EXCEPT roaches.)

I did splurge and buy a few bulbs.  It was good to plant something - it helps me with the settling and the acceptance of being here.  The irises are from our house in Medford, the ones that bloom for Elsa's birthday, and the pots in the foreground are cotton and hibiscus from my mother

And just to complete the scene, here is our front door, with Oliver's tree (it survived the move!) and our (mostly) faithful watch-cat Tabitha Twitchit.  She hasn't run away yet, and she does keep the stray cats away from "her" new territory!