Sunday was the anniversary of having to put my Nadia to sleep. I decided to make a rock bordered flower garden over the graves of the three dogs we lost last summer. In the photo above you'll notice three headstones on the left. The closest one is Mowgli (my brother's older dog), the middle is Nadia, and the far one is Bentley (my brother's younger dog). I left space on the other side of Bentley for his brother when it comes time for him to go too.
Each of the stones in the border were hand selected from a giant pile at a local construction place. Each one is unique and special. Several have quartz inclusions, some are sparkly, a few have unique shapes, different colors, stripes, spots, or some other distinguishing feature.
Tomorrow I'll be heading back over and plan to scrub all of the rocks with some vinegar water. It will clean them up, make them sparkle a little better, and help to prevent the growth of weeds along the border.
Once we're out of frost danger, I will be raking it out, lightly tilling it up, and spreading some shade-loving mixed flower seeds that Tony picked up for this project. I know the deer will likely eat everything, but it's worth a try anyway. If nothing else, we will have a lovely bordered area that the deer enjoy.
I admit, I'll be a little lost without my friendly "nosy neighbor" to watch over my house. She would call me to let me know if there was a kid or a dog in my yard that shouldn't be there. She'd been known to shoo away more than one would-be intruder looking in my windows. And she would call me before she called 911 every time she needed to go to the hospital, to make sure I could come over and leash the dog up before the ambulance crew and police officers arrived. I'll miss seeing her peeking out her kitchen window or sitting in her porch while I tend my backyard.
I worry about the house being for sale too. Advertising a vacant home might draw attention we don't want. I worry about vandalism and potential thieves eyeing the neighborhood. I also worry about the parade of real estate lookers. I've always had issues with people I don't know around my house. Even random cars parked on the street, people walking down the street, and especially door-to-door people. I love privacy, grew up out in the country where if someone came up your driveway, chances are you were expecting them. Town life is not the same. I really hope we can move in the near future to a more rural setting where I won't be on "high alert" all the time. I blame Aspergers.