“Backyard Oasis”

~ Elizabeth

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I have always loved having a back yard. Perhaps this began in my childhood with the first house I lived in as a child. Outdoors always gave me a sense of freedom to play, to dream and to read. Even though I now find comfort indoors, I still love having a back yard, if only to gaze out upon as I go through my day. Fortunately, my husband loves working outdoors and has turned our back yard into a true oasis. Here is a third view of the yard, this time highlighting the brick walkway he made from salvaged bricks, the picket fence he made from boards, the blueberry fortress and in the far back corner the grape arbor, reinforced by salvaged boards. The scruffy patch of lawn shows the work of our dog!

We live in a single family neighborhood, with one house for each lot, usually at least 50′ by 100′.  In Oregon, where I spent the first fifty years of my life, this was the most common type of housing. Recently, however, Oregon has changed their laws. In any town over 25,000 people, single family zoning will no longer be allowed. Talking recently to an old friend in Portland, I learned that the idea of single family neighborhoods is now considered “out of date” and a “new paradigm” of multi-family housing is now preferred. I guess this resulted from the great numbers of people moving to Oregon and expecting to find a place to live. But the character of the state will be vastly different from when I grew up there.

I am glad that here we are still surrounded by individual houses with yards. I enjoy the pride each homeowner takes with their little “estate.” No one near has much money, but all are happy to have a place of their own to call home.

 

20 thoughts on ““Backyard Oasis””

  2. Given your description, I suppose we also live in a ‘single family neighbourhood’. (We don’t have that term here) Everyone has their own separate back garden, and small front ones too. We have enough space at the front for a separate garage, and even more space to park three more cars on the property, though we only have two cars, not four. 🙂
    It is a very different life to the one we lived in London, in an apartment block of 55 1930s-built flats, over five floors, and having to walk some distance to on-street parking that we had to pay an annual fee for a permit. to park on.
    Best wishes, Pete.

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  6. Your space is beautiful Elizabeth. We do not have such an oasis. Our surroundings are all Mother Nature’s doing. But we do have our own space and I would not want it any other way. The times they are a changin’…

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  7. The new law sounds rather draconian. If it came in here I suspect those that could afford it would buy into single family neighbourhoods pushing up prices even more. Perhaps you’ll benefit from a similar effect.
    I was also interested in your use of the term “back yard”. I’m from the north of England and would use that to describe the rear of a typical 1870-1920 terrace house but when I’ve used it in our present house (not a terrace) my wife (from the south) picks it up because she insists it’s a garden.

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  11. This is a lovely ode to backyards – something I took for granted up until I became an adult. Although I currently l live in an apartment building, I’m happy that I have family members who not only own homes with backyards, some of which have been made into wonderful sanctuaries: so beautiful and peaceful, great for quietude, reading, or just observing the comings and goings of birds and squirrels and rabbits and pheasants.

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