For this week’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt, Linda G. Hill has given us the word “trees.” She asks us to use the word “tree” or write about a tree. Any kind of tree.

I thought I’d write about not just one tree, but about the dozen trees that we planted in our backyard as part of a major landscaping project we undertook this past year. Here’s the story.

When my wife and I moved into our current home in early 2020, our backyard was a field of hard, dry clay. Our house was a flip, and the flipper decided to leave it up to the new owners to landscape the yard anyway they wanted to, so he covered the clay with a black tarp. He called it “a clean slate.”

About a year ago, we decided to turn our tarp-covered backyard into a green paradise. We removed the tarp, tilled the clay, added topsoil and nutrients, planted ground cover, grasses, plants, shrubbery, and around a dozen decent-sized trees where there was nothing but clay before. We even constructed a waterfall with a pond to attract birds who drink from and bathe there.

Here is a recent photo of just a small portion of our lush, landscaped yard as it looks today.

I can’t describe how much pleasure my wife and I derive when we sit on our backyard deck and look out upon the natural, park-like tranquility we have created.