My Love/Hate Relationship With My Yard

I'm one of those people who could spend hours looking at pictures of outdoor rooms & backyards, lusting after lush green grass, well-manicured shrubbery, & nice patio furniture. My own yard, however, is a mess. Part of the problem is that I have asthma & working in the yard wreaks havoc on my allergies. The other part is that I'm kind of lazy when it comes to landscaping. If I could pay someone to keep my yard looking nice, I would, but my teacher's salary doesn't allow for that.

When I'm in the mood & have enough Allegra-D in my system, I trim the bushes, mow the lawn, & keep things looking decent so that the neighbors don't turn their noses up at me. Right now there are some remnants of last fall's leaves that will hopefully be ground up in the mower when the grass is high enough for me to mow.

I would love to be able to have an outdoor space where I could have small gatherings or at the very least be able to eat outdoors when the weather allows. The previous home owner had a nice brick patio built, which is nice to look at but the weeds that come up through the cracks are annoying. (Yes, I know about weed killer but it's a never-ending battle to keep those suckers dead.) My neighbors to one side have a koi pond & a pool behind their privacy fence, which keeps my yard full of mosquitoes in the summer. That doesn't make being outdoors very enjoyable.

If I were filthy rich, I'd want a space like this:

(Image of Courteney Cox's home via ElleDecor.com)

However, for now I need to just get a dining set from Lowe's or Target, some Round-Up for the weeds, & citronella candles & keep dreaming that I'll strike it rich.