A little over 40 years ago, I married the love of my life! Ronnie is an incredible man, and I’m so blessed! I wanted to share a project he and our son-in-law Tyler have been working on since last fall. It fills my heart with LIGHT and love each time I look at it.

When we built our home 17 years ago, there was a lot of dirt left over after. I asked our builder if he would leave a mound in the front and back corners of our lot as we planned to make two large raised planter beds. When the recession hit hard in 2007, all our big plans for the yard went to the back burner, and didn’t resurface until a few years ago when we hired someone to come and build the front planter. We couldn’t afford to do the back planter at the same time, but hoped it would happen soon. Once again, the back planter was put on hold longer than we had hoped.

Ronnie has the patience of Job, and continued to make our yard look amazing in spite of the ugly dirt mound in the back corner. We moved a pretty bush from the front planter to the dirt mound in the back to help make it look a little better, but it has still been a daily reminder of another project put on hold . . . until last fall. We had a landscape company come and give us a bid, and when it came in at $22,000 we gulped hard and politely told them thank you, but no thank you. Ronnie got some help from our son-in-law, and a kind neighbor with a small backhoe. They dug the trench, filled it with some type of road base stuff, and then let it sit through the winter to settle.

Through the years, Ronnie has put his body through a lot! A few too many dirt bike crashes in his teenage years, and a lifetime of hard knocks have taken a toll. It was decided he needed to have a disc replacement in his neck a little over two months ago. The surgery was successful, and the recovery was more of a nuisance for him than anything. He felt better almost immediately as the pressure on his spinal cord was no longer an issue. By the way, if you’re looking for an incredible neurosurgeon, Dr. Charles Rich in Murray, Utah is incredible! It was an outpatient surgery done at the Surgical Center in Park City, Utah, and the entire experience was incredible. Everyone was so kind, and helpful. The blessing of modern medicine and all the advancements are quite miraculous, and this procedure is one of those! Ronnie feels so much better, however, we were concerned about him finishing the heavy rock planter he so desired to finish this spring. After a couple months of recovery, he decided he was ready to finish the planter.

With the help of some great neighborhood boys, our son-in-law, and Ronnie, they got all the blocks back to the dirt mound corner, and Ron and Tyler started the first layer of the planter. I must admit, I was nervous about Ronnie lifting those 50 pound blocks into place so soon after his surgery. But he promised he would stop if it bothered his neck. A few short weeks later, he rented a block cutting machine from Home Depot, cut the blocks for the cap on the top edge, and put them into place. I actually like it better than the one we had done in the front yard! Watching him work has been so much fun! And watching the planter take shape has been fulfilling for both of us!

The smile on his face radiated LIGHT each time he went out to work on this BIG heavy project! It’s amazing how that back corner of the yard has transformed into something beautiful! We’re waiting for the dirt to settle inside the planter a little, and then Ronnie will bring in some nice Nutrimulch and till it into the existing dirt. Then he’ll work his sprinkler magic, which he pre-planned when he put the entire system in himself 16 years ago. He had just finished getting that in when he fell and broke his arm. But that’s a story for another day. Very soon, the new planter will be ready to fill with some of God’s lovely green creations!

“The Lord loves effort!” And Ronnie has certainly put a lot of that into this project. I’m so grateful for this man who sets his mind to something, knows how to work hard, and doesn’t stop until the job is finished. Our kids all know how to work hard from the example of such a great dad!

Summer is a great time to get outside and work on those long overdue projects. But be sure to take time at the end of a long day’s work, to sit in the shade and enjoy the beauty of your labors! This will bring LIGHT to your soul, and fulfillment in creating and completing those hefty yard projects!

Have a great week!

Love Ya, Les :)

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I’m A Lucky Girl