A Healthy Home

Today completes the last full work week of my Summer of Well and it was lovely. I did lots of yoga, tried several new classes at the gym and cleaned the hell out of my house. Guys, it is so clean, I don't think you appreciate what a big deal this is - anyone who's ever lived with me can attest to the fact that "tidy" is a modifier they'd never use on me.

But I worked my butt of and this house is gloriously clean. I mean no dust clean - food drops on the floor and you can still eat it clean, people wouldn't know we have two shedding cats (and two shedding humans) clean. And, not surprisingly, this clean clutter-free adobe makes me feel cleaner and lighter and happier.

Yesterday, Matt's generous parents drove up here and the three of us spent the day tearing apart the mess of a yard we've got. Here is what we've been living like for the past couple years (eee!):



I can explain, I can explain. I'm a bit of a city girl - before I moved here, I'd never had an actual mailbox (I thought the mailman put the flag up to announce, "Friend! You have mail!"), we had a sidewalk, not a yard. So while I've always had high hopes for our plot, I've done little to improve or even maintain our landscape. And Matt grew up doing tons of yard work (ask him about the time he ran way from home mid leaf raking), and does not care for it. Also, he has an unreasonable, yet endearing compassion for green things. And often refuses to weed because of the pain it will inflict on his botanical friends.

But his parents were heroes and radically deconstructed, repaired, and seriously improved our lot in life. Take a look.



So lovely! I can walk on the sidewalk again! And, inspired, I spent the today digging up a huge network of viney plants in the backyard in preparation for the patio my dad and I are going to install. Everyone's invited to the (vegetarian) BBQ!