I was thinking as I read this thread that my motto is Simplify Life. Then someone mentioned that is the new fad. LOL Personally I am not simplifying my life as a fad but because I saw how wasteful I was and at times still am, just because I can be. My new thinking came when I brought this house. I wanted a big house on a large lot...3 acres minimum. That was the reason I moved back to NC. I wanted an old house so I can tear it apart and refurbish it and the land so I can have some animals. When I moved here I had the job and started looking. The fad here is 2-3 thousand sq feet...and new. I knew I did not want anything that big and new houses are not for me. Well I spent a year in a hotel looking for the right place. I found that if I could find a large piece of land it would be so far from my job that it would make the commute miserable. So now knowing I had to move near the city I would have to settle on a smaller piece of land. Then finding an old house was the next obstacle. My Real Estate agent was absolutely frustrated with me. I did not want anything crumbling to the ground. I was not going to spend a lot of money on the house either. He tried to convince me to buy the land and get a modular home but that did not fit in my plan. Well the end result was after living in a hotel for a year, I found a 875 sq ft house built in 1920 but in decent condition on 1.25 acres. It has been a challenge living here including not being able to fit all my stuff in the house. Most of it is packed away in the barn. I have been taking stuff out more and more and then I started realizing it is kind of nice having a small house and I did not really need all that stuff. There is not much to clean, not much clutter and the mortgage does not kill me. Then I got the goats. Found they were useful in clearing up all the leaves that fall off the trees and they eat all the ivy killing some of the trees. Then I got chickens and discovered how nice it is not not have to buy eggs. And the idea of continuing to simplify my life started growing. I am trying very hard to not have more than I need. I am a recovered shop a holic. Really. When the weather breaks I am selling all that stuff stored in the barn and using the money for something else. a vacation or something. My job now tells us that we are going to have to work for one day free a week vs losing our jobs. Everyone is crying over this but you know because I have trimmed the fat out of my life it is not going to kill me. I will have enough to still cover the bills. The ones living in the houses they could hardly afford with more room than they would ever need are going to be the ones really suffering. SIMPLIFY LIFE

Bluebird, I've seen many of your posts over the months and you've made a great effort in identifying plants, giving a shot at caring for them, and asking for advice, but in the end it's your house and if it's not something you want or are happy with, don't feel at all bad about getting rid of it. I wouldn't even feel bad about trashing plants. Offer them, if there are no takers.... toss 'em. As Kevin already said, if there are areas you don't like eliminate them first. If it's in the back just take a spin over them with the lawnmower to start and if you need to level it for grass, deal with that later. Running over unwanted plants with a riding mower is a very satisfying way to start, in fact I sometimes do that for fall cleanup! I wouldn't downsize beds, it's more work and you'll have to move plants, re edge, and it may throw off the scale of plants in the bed. Either eliminate or keep. Don't waste time on the fussy stuff like weeding a million weeds out of a groundcover. By now you should know what is a pain and what's less trouble. Get rid of the pains.... but try to keep the shrubs and trees, even if they look 'lost' after all the plantings around them are mown, they're more money and time to replace and you may want to think that over a little more. Once you reach a level that you can handle try to go from there with maybe more low maint. shrubs or easy care perennials. You can always put beds back. It's your house now and although the landscaping was beautiful, do what works for you. Plant grass to your heart's content. -but on the grass have you ever considered leaving it unmown? Who knows what wildflowers may show up, and you can always mow it in July or so to neaten it up. I cut in a few paths and the kids love to run around in there....

Will miss you, dear Memo. I understand totally. I agree with what others have said about being a gardener no matter how small your cottage garden may be, even if it's pot size! Hopefully you will still be posting here, at least on occasion. I did bookmark your blog. Sending you lots of love and best wishes, my friend. XXXXXXX Becky p.s. I just recently got a sewing cart for my sewing machine--yay!!. So will be getting more into sewing shortly (also have another grandbaby on the way, to sew for) :) Should have some fabric scraps that may be suitable for quilting, and you are most welcome to them, Memo, if you are interested. I am not a quilter, so please let me know what type/size of fabric you can use, okay? Just send me an email, anytime. :) B

The flea market turned out to be much farther than I thought, and I got a late start due to dealing with one of the animals here. I didn't leave until 11:30....took several wrong turns. Same on the way back. However, the best part of my day, was when I was way out in the country and needed to turn around, there was a barn and a gate, no house, so I turned in there to back up, and in the ditch was about 6 inches of water and what looked to be like a young (3') alligator. It appeared to be dead....but was just sunning. I rolled down my window and stuck my head out to look at it, and it raised it's head and looked at me as if to say, "What the **** are you looking at, lady? Get outta here." And I did, but I thought how cool to have an alligator in your front ditch. They are among my favorite creatures.