Back Yard Garden

I decided to start a small raised bed garden in our back yard this spring. Matt helped me build the bed and then I got the dirt and seedlings from Bookcliff Gardens Nursery. Mojo is a great helper!


I just planted one or two of each plant. I just wanted to see which plants do best in our back yard. I think next year I might ask Matt to help me build another bed so I can have a bigger variety and at least two plants of each type.


We have beefeater tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, jalapeño pepper, cantaloupe, cucumber, strawberries, and a bunch of herbs — parsley, basil, oregano, cilantro, thyme, rosemary, and lavender. I pulled off some cilantro today to make a batch of grape salsa and also a batch of tomato salsa. YUM... More photos to come as the garden grows!

Our House in 1964

These are a couple photos taken by the Nicholsons in 1964 when they bought the house we now own. They lived here until 2006. Mrs. Nicholson wanted to put shutters on the windows, but I don’t think they ever got around to it.

In the photo above, there is a whole part of the house in the back with a sloping roof that is no longer there. I wonder what was in that part of the house? I do know that when it was remodeled in 2006, the kitchen was moved to a whole ‘nother room, and the laundry room and a bathroom were put where the original kitchen was.

In 2006, they also opened up the enclosed front porch seen in the photo above and it’s now much more welcoming. We’re going to get some big planters for the front porch and/or a nice porch swing.

Our House

This is our new house! It was built in 1905 and is in the historic district in Grand Junction. Next year we're going to work a little bit on the front yard to make it a little more homey.

Of course we love the historic style of the house most of all (I’ll post interior shots in another entry). But we’re continually surprised by luxuries we didn’t know we missed: a dishwasher, ice maker, washer and dryer, air conditioning. We’ve only been living here a week, and I think I’ve already washed almost everything we own. What a luxury to never have to scrounge for quarters or sit at a laundromat again!

The previous owners fixed up the back yard with a new patio and xeriscaping, which we love! Someday, we’d like to find a way to incorporate solar panels.

Another view of the back yard. My mom is going to give us her patio furniture, and we just got a beautiful fire pan so we can sit outside on chilly evenings.