Backyard Overhaul: Part 1

We've had dreams for our black-top-covered backyard ever since purchasing The House at Fellows just a bit over a year ago - big dreams!  The top of our list for this Spring?  Electric out to the garage and a fence!!  We wanted to be able to better utilize our big, beautiful 4-bay garage.  It's pretty dark most of the time in Winter and even by the end of our CSA season (somewhere around October/November), it got dark so early that our POD members were picking out their produce by the scant light of a single bulb on a VERY LONG extension cord.  So a little more light back there was what we've been craving . . . And as far as the fence, we wanted to create a nicer "backyard feel" and a bit of a spatial separation between our property and the next - especially because our two driveways were still connected. 
Woodfords to the rescue!  Margaret and Stevo generously offered to haul up to the Cuse during Jesse's Spring Break and offer their expertise in order to make these projects possible.  With BIG PLANS in motion involving trench-digging, fence post placing, and lots of general outdoor work, a RAINY morning on the first work day threatened to dampen our spirits (rain = no trench digging!).  Never fear!  The boys busied themselves with setting up almost the ENTIRE garage with outlets, bulbs, and some lovely outdoor lanterns - so everything was set except for actually running the electricity from the house TO the garage.  Mama Margaret and I stayed bundled up inside, alternating between kitchen, couch, and various laptops - I even got Margaret to show me a few verses of the rock song she is signing (yes, SIGNING, not singing) for a concert for the deaf in May!  Later that evening we decided to add yet ANOTHER Margaret into the mix, coaxing Miss Casazza over from her worm conference that day at Upstate.  We had a nice, relaxed evening of catching up on recent nematode break-throughs over good chinese food. 

The next morning was still rainy so the boys were out in the garage again.  It eventually brightened up enough for the ladies to do some splitting and re-potting of house plants and throwing some perennials from South Jersey into the ground outside.  So much potential for color and greenery!  The nice weather continued as we headed over to Slow Food CNY's Spring-season potluck (Jesse is on the board!).  We enjoyed good food in the cozy atmosphere over at Grace Episcopal Church of Syracuse where Slow Food member (and prolific Cookin' in the Cuse blogger) Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows is the residing reverend.  We were also treated to a powerpoint presentation about Slow Food USA - at the end of which Sugar Pearl Cafe was awarded the Spring season Snail of Approval Award!  You may remember our previous post about their fabulous food - yay for food joints offering food that is delicious AND local :) 

All in all it was a very nice weekend.  Stay tuned for "Backyard Overhaul: Part Two" where the work REALLY gets going  . . .