Because I made this tree so beautiful,
    and gave it such magnificent foliage,
it was the envy of all the other trees of Eden,
    the garden of God. – Ezekiel 31:9

One of the simplest ways to make a huge impact with this new house is to do a little work in the garden. By garden I mean yard, because when we moved in there was nothing, nada, zero, zilch, nyet in the way of landscaping. Tabula rasa in every sense of the idea.

Aaron, to give him (and his team) credit, wanted to put in sod all the way up to the house in the front, but we agreed to “between the sidewalk and the road” and asked him to leave the rest to us.

Not that we are planning to work ourselves to death and break our backs, but that Rebekah both loves the process and has really great ideas that will take time.

First, the new grass has done really well. Or, to be more accurate, I haven’t killed it yet.

Then, we have started to transplant the shrubbery we brought over from Wake Forest with us, and we also purchased a couple of fairly mature trees.

One of the hard things about selling our Wake Forest home was leaving behind so much imagination and beauty and sweat in our Tyler Run garden, including the almost 12-years of nurture and growth seen in eight spectacular Japanese Maple trees. A ninth – younger – was still in a pot so that one (next to the front steps) was able to make the trip.

So Rebekah and I drove over to Allen’s Garden Center in Rocky Mount and we splurged on a fairly mature Coral Bark Japanese Maple as well as a strong Chinese Fringe Tree. They are tall enough I had to ask my friend John Keck to help me bring them to the house with his pickup truck.

Oh, and we could talk about the rototiller (generously loaned by my friend Wayne): it has been a big help – when it wants to be – but we are nowhere near friends.

It is early days yet, granted. But Rebekah and I absolutely feel that we are making an impact.

Making an Impact:

And that is the point. Other than a comfortable home to live in, the point is making an impact: making an impact on the lot, making an impact on the house, making an impact on the history and the future, making an impact on the historic district, making an impact on this community… this town; and most importantly making an impact in the lives of the people we are privileged to live amongst.

Just a garden. Just a community. Just a calling. Just the beginnings of something remarkable. So let’s bloom already! – DEREK

pictured below: exploring the garden center (with Tommy), and the results at home