Looking south, down onto the patio, after a big storm knocked down a lot of branches, and the dead tree in the back of the yard. The patio is not particularly attractive or enjoyable to spend time on, because of all the dead grass and weeds surrounding it. The area between the patio and deck, right at the bottom, had been mostly dirt with some weeds growing. At this point I had put in some stones as a border and planned to plant some wildflowers. It was shortly after this storm that my neighbor came over and donated some of her garden plants, which we planted here. Thanks Cecelia!

Compare with the same view 6 years later, in 2013. And 10 years later, in 2017.