Four years ago, my husband and I started the process of searching for our first house. By the fall, after a series of denials, we were able to secure our home. With our hopes high and excited to get started on our lives as newlywed homeowners, we started by updating the inside of our house. We slept in the converted garage on the floor for two months while we removed popcorn ceilings, retextured, painted, and replaced carpet. As our rooms slowly became furnished and large decisions were made, our relationship grew. Back and forth on decisions that tried our fresh marriage, the only thing we could agree on, we joked, was that the palm tree in our backyard (along with all of the other vegetation) had to be removed.
Three years ago, the inside of the house had come together, and our focus turned to the outside. Replacing the roof, washing the siding, and removing overgrown shrubbery. We tore out our lawn. The physical labor was nothing compared to the patience required, as more problems arose than were solved. We called in all of our favors, and every family member came and pulled, cut, removed, and sprayed as we tackled the yard. After dragging through machinery, pulling out stumps, and cutting down unhealthy trees, we were finally left with a clean slate. Well, a clean slate and a palm tree, which somehow remained standing.
Two years ago, we replaced our driveway and sidewalk. The cracks from tree roots and erosion were erased, and we finally had a good idea of where to start planting. Fresh soil was brought in; we shoveled and scooped until the entire front yard was mulched. Weeds were treated repeatedly, and the shape of the house began to come together; our vision was clear, at least from the front of the house. As our progress finally became visible, so did my growing belly. Unable to commit to larger projects for the season, we relaxed side by side, shaded only by the singular palm tree. That fall, we welcomed our wonderful baby into our family.
One year ago, we finally planted. After exclusively gardening in pots for three years, we planted something in the ground on purpose. Under the careful supervision of our infant, landscaping was laid out, and holes were dug. The front of our house was now somewhat presentable. The challenge was keeping it all watered. Through a blistering summer, the plants and child were nursed, held together only by sheer will. Then, that winter, we watched from the window as our plants battled the cold weather and ice. While we lost a handful of less hardy plants, that singular palm tree survived.
This year, the battle has shifted from big projects to maintenance. Keeping the weeds down, trimming and shaping shrubs, and training trees. Everything is watered, pests are kept at bay, and we can see visible growth in both the plants and our daughter. Every weekend, the family sits outside and weeds, a constant battle that we can accomplish together. Satisfied with the current progress, we decided it might be time to turn our attention to finishing the backyard, creating a perfect space to host our friends and neighbors, with room for the kids to run around safely, and aspiring to the ultimate summer BBQ. We have developed numerous plans for the space. In all the variations, there is one consistency: the palm tree needed to be removed.
This week, the palm tree was removed. It feels just a little bittersweet; the first thing my husband and I agreed upon after getting married is finally completed (a four-year-long project!) Looking back, it is amazing to see just how our home, yard, relationship, and family have grown. If there is one thing that I have learned through this entire process, it is that there will always be more to improve upon. I am excited to plant more roots and watch as the new trees grow, each plant making our house a little more of a home.
