Our back yard

I love Germany...and Germany's summer time weather so far? Oh my goodness...it couldn't be anything closer to perfect if it tried. It's gorgeous here.

I love our back yard, too...but I'm pretty sure it's trying to kill me.

This is our deck, or what Elfie, (our landlord) calls a 'terrace'. It's awesome. Just inside the windows there on the left is our dining room. One of those windows is actually a glass door. See the painting on the house to the right? That's our landlord's, the Becker's house. Elfie painted that. She's an elementary school teacher and is awesome.

Here's Scott on the part of this crazy hill that he and I together managed to mow.

This is a shot of the Becker's yard taken from our yard. They have three grown daughters, two grandsons and a little granddaughter named Isabelle who comes to visit quite often. Isabelle is two and she's adorable. I hear Elfie speaking to her all of the time while they are outside, playing in the water, sliding down the slide or planting flowers. "Eezabelle", she says in a sing songy voice...one all grandmother's should have.  

Both Isabelle and Elfie witnessed me falling on my tail end as I was trying to mow this crazy hill. I was so hot and so tired at that point, I didn't care enough to be embarrassed. "Quick!" Elfie tells Scotty. "Get the camera! We need a photo to send to your dad!" Sheesh. Kurt, Elfie's husband told me to mow it from the top...that it was so steep, it would be best to do it that way. The verdict is still out.

Neither one of my thumbs are green. I have skills. I am talented, but none of my talents have anything to do with gardening. This planter is in our yard, but is maintained by Elfie. These tulips are gorgeous, and to the right is Elfie's "salate". The snails have been getting in there, though, and our snails aren't cute and tiny. They're the size of golf balls, and they're hungry. They make Elfie very angry.

"Okay, mom, I think you should do it this way..."

 

The planters on the left separates our yard from the Becker's. These stairs go down into a little yard area we access through the door in my craft room. The yard is fairy tale like...it truly is, with ivy all over the walls and wildflowers sprinkled throughout the lawn. 

This hill, however, is a difficult thing. See the stairs to the left? Those go up to a compost container...one that is pretty much hidden by green, leafy foliage.

Did I mention that the lawnmower we have is electric? Yep. Never used an electric mower before. I'm missing our big, powerful gas powered machine. It was a lot heavier, but it would probably make short work of this yard grooming business.

Here is one of Elfie's snails. They are large and in charge these critters...and all over the place. While tending to her "salate", she was telling me how to take care of the little buggers. "You pick them up by the house," she says, gripping one by the shell. "Then you toss them up the hill." I watched her huck about four of them giggling the whole time. I haven't thrown any of them, but I have had to move a few. Even from the lawnmower itself. You let anything sit for too long, it'll most likely have a snail on it eventually.

That step leads into our master bedroom. We don't use that door much, but now that it's getting warmer, we probably will.

These pictures were taken on Tuesday. It's now Friday and only a bit more has been mowed. I tried to get it done before Steven came home, but to no avail...the steepest part of the hill is still wildly overgrown.

Two days after this picture was taken, Scott came into the classroom scratching his ear. He asked me if there was a scab there or a bite. When I looked, I saw a tick clinging tightly to outer edge, tiny and black. Scott likes to be outside...he's a nine year old boy...playing, rolling around...being a kid. The tick removal was unpleasant, but I hope he doesn't change a thing. Playing outside is what kids should do.

The rose trellis over the stairs to the compost bin.

Moss and little violets.

Isabelle and Elfie's daisies.

The hidden compost bin. 

It's cute. It's quiet...and it's infuriating this little mower. Ah, well...Steven's home now, thank goodness. The yard is so pretty...if he can help me tame it, perhaps keeping it under control for the rest of the summer won't be so difficult. I look forward to some dinners out on our terrace...even if this lawn isn't mowed.