Dan started mowing through the low stuff when he mowed the lawn, and I spent a few hours one weekend cutting and unraveling honeysuckle from the fence.
It wasn’t fun, but it was sort of satisfying to remove so much in a short time.
After all that was out, two tree stumps were revealed. Wonderful. My dad has already removed the taller one with a chainsaw, but the second one is still there.
And then I pretty much ignored the backyard for three months. Maybe it’s because I absolutely wilt in the Saint Louis summer humidity. Or the fact that I can go outside for 15 minutes and get 15 mosquito bites. Or because I have an energetic toddler who needs constant attention. Whatever the excuse, the backyard was still embarrassingly neglected.