Shiny, happy flowers dancing…shiny, happy flowers dancing…(my version of the B-52s “Shiny Happy People” song)
Welcome to Sweet Sorghum Living! If you are just now joining the SSL blog, let me give a gist of Flashback Fridays–it is the backstory of Sweet Sorghum Living…how the past has influenced the present.
Now, grab a cup of coffee, and sit a spell with me as I look back on the gardens of my past. Or is it yards…lawns…landscaping projects…work…do it yourself yard projects from my past…
The year was 2006…it was hot…the roses were pink…the path was made from an old concrete porch.
I am trying to find creative inspiration for my new yard…with the hope of warmer weather on the horizon, I really need to be planning a few landscaping projects. I have cabin fever…more like home renovation overwhelm-ness.
Where to turn? What to do? Old photos…the past…the successes and the failures. Let’s take a look together…perhaps, y’all can help me find the sunshine that I need for the new place…which still doesn’t have a name…other than “new place”, but we will save that for another day.
The year was 2004. A giant flower pot, which was originally used as the base for a patio table, repurposed into a fountain. It was never used as a flower pot. The pergola was replaced with a covered porch a couple of years after this photo was taken. It was a splendid idea, but not for a house in the middle of a pasture…in the South.
Front porch entrance to HatRidge…back in 2007. I love mixing earth toned pots with bright ones. Just a little pop of color is enough for shiny, happy plants dancing…
The year was 2008. We were living on a street called Scooter. We bought a lovely cookie cutter house that needed a bit of personality. We added a vinyl walkway and a two-tiered deck. We spruced it all up with Encore azaleas, grasses, Natchez White Crepe Myrtles (or Crape Myrtle–I have seen it both ways), Golden Cypresses, KnockOut Roses in the most delicate shade of pink…oh, it was lovely!
Stan designed and built the vinyl deck and wooden raised beds. I loved all the different levels in this yard, but I did not enjoy such proximity with my neighbors…even though they were all precious. It was hard going from a pasture in the middle of nowhere to a neighborhood.
Pasture in the middle of nowhere–better known as Ellison Ridge–for those of us that were born and reared in God’s country!
Back to the Scooter House–Love pops of color! I just had to paint my chairs in festive brights! Underneath the screened porch, Stan created an outdoor kitchen and dining area. It was a nice place to entertain…outdoor ceiling fans stirred the muggy summer heat…
Is there anything better than a big front porch! (HatRidge-2009–We owned and kept up two places, HatRidge in Mississippi and Scooter in Alabama, for about two years. Physically, it was exhausting!)
HatRidge 2009–vinyl privacy fence designed and built by Stan…I love how he topped the gate with an arbor…and the gray posts with the white fence sections!
Oh, my goodness! Whatever shall I do at the new place…new house! Bless its heart! It needs a name…a few pops of color!
I could reminisce all day, but I really must be getting back to a few home reno projects. Next Friday, we will continue our look back at yards gone by…and see if we can all come up with a landscaping plan for the “new place”.
If you have any landscaping ideas or photos you would like to share with me (and I would share them with all my sweet readers), please email me at chasidy.hathorn@gmail.com .
Thanks for sitting a spell with me!
Chasidy
Loved reading this!! The pictures are phenomenal!! Especially loved the pasture shot !!
Sent from my iPhone
Thanks, Judy…I do miss Ellison Ridge, and it will always be home 🙂
Hatridge was a pasture oasis full of the best of memories!
I see the “new place” as a wooded cove. The front yard waits for paths & fairy dens, hidden seating and spots to hide among the neighbors. The back yard is for play! Run, swim, roll in the grass! I know a little boy waiting to put on camo & show you how! 🙂 You will find your inspiration, just wait for the warm spring day you can sit outside and let your muse find you. Thanks for the coffee break.
Thanks, Carol! We are waiting on the warm day 🙂 HatRidge was indeed a pasture oasis–full of great gatherings. The “new place” will capture new moments and a name haha!