What I'm working with

We've lived in this house in Emerald Hills for almost a year now. We have 12,700 square feet of land, approximately half of which is ceded to the dogs and the steep slope in the front yard. The backyard is terraced with dry-stacked rock walls (more on those later). The lowest level is the deck. Three steps up take you to a perennial flower bed (which may not be long for this world...more on that later, too). A walkway cuts across the yard above the perennial bed and the lawn is above that. The lawn is a sentimental indulgence; I never had one growing up, the dogs love it, and the some-time-in-the-future imagined kids hopefully will, too. Up above the lawn are three 3X10 raised vegetable beds, asparagus, blueberries, a lemon, an orange, and a plum tree...our bounty! Chickens may be added soon so stay tuned!