Linda's Place: "GOOD-BYE Student housing..."

Three years ago I decided to leave my high-rise condo and move into a single-family home. Having a few health concerns, I specifically looked at homes with all the ‘essentials’ on the main floor: master bedroom, kitchen, laundry and office. I wanted a four-bedroom home, but settled for three bedrooms instead.

I had been looking for a house off and on for a few years. I even gave up for a while and bought a lot because I wasn’t finding the house I wanted. But perseverance paid off and I found a house that came pretty close to what I was looking for. I knew it was "the one" the minute I walked into the foyer.
I broke a few rules of home-buying when I bought this house: I didn’t see what the yard looked like without the two feet of snow that was in the yard. I had no idea what the yard was going to look like. All I knew is that it was fully landscaped with underground sprinkling system. That could heave meant any number of things! For those of you who have read a real estate ad, then went to see the home, you all know it could have been a disaster.

Why then did it not even occur to me when I signed the real estate offer to hold off until the snow melted?? I guess it was a leap of faith. I had a "feeling".... And, the inside was done so beautifully that I just trusted the outside would be the same. (TRUSTED?? Is that even a word you can use with real estate purchases these day??) Well, I bought the house, snow and all. After I moved in and the snow melted, I got the surprise of my life. The yard exceeded my expectations... My EVERY hope and dream. The first spring I lived in the house I took pictures of the yard almost every week. Being a novice gardener I didn’t recognize plants as their tender shoots peaked through the ground. The blossoms and pods were a daily delight as they changed and developed and eventually blossomed into the most amazing display of color.

Now that it’s Spring again and the grass is starting to turn green, I am reminded of how much I love my house. I'm looking forward to seeing how much the plants have grown and developed. This will be my fourth summer in the house and the 5th summer for the landscape. (The house was a year old when I bought it).

I bought my house because of the floor plan, but I LOVE it because of the yard. Each day I drive into my drive way, each time I walk through my yard I have to admit I’m the luckiest person in the world! I could have been burned! Instead, I pinch myself to see if I’m dreaming. I acquired a most amazing yard with the most beautiful plants. I'm still learning how to take care of them, when and how to prune them.... But I'm enjoying the journey. I'm becoming a regular in the gardening section of Barnes and Noble and I'm finding some helpful internet sites to teach me a little more. I'm trying to learn enough to prove that you CAN teach an OLD DOG new tricks! So far I haven't ruined anything (I hope!)

Here are a few photos of my amazing yard from last year. Things here in Minnesota haven't fully bloomed yet, but one thing I know: I'll be outside taking photos all summer - again.

I think if I ever get too complacent to enjoy my yard it means the novelty has worn off and it's time to get back to "high rise" living... I hope that doesn't happen for a VERY long time... Not until I'm ready for "assisted living."

I still can't get used to architecture in Minnesota-Very little brick used here...
I guess it's so incredibly expensive here that most homes under a milliong dollars use it only for trim...
Yuck. I hate seeing so much siding...