Just Like Heaven...

One of the more creativer (thanks TAMN!) ideas we've come up with to solve our housing... er.... dilemma is to build a house we actually like on a private lot. This would solve our problem by a) getting us a house that hasn't been owned by crazy people before us (so many of those on the market right now!) b) getting us a house in a neighborhood we actually like (not too many of those around here) and c) getting us a house on a lot that isn't roughly the size of a postage stamp.
We're picky. Like super picky. So picky that, in case you didn't catch it before, we walked out of our contract on the house up on the hill. Call me crazy, but I don't want to have to measure every tiny little hairline and/or crack for years to come just because I'm worried my house could possibly be falling off the mountain. Go fig.
We actually found a lot that we like and a builder that we like and new home construction is so cheap right now we actually could end up with a 3600 sq foot house including a fully finished basement on a .6 acre lot in our neighborhood for less than we actually owe on our current property. We're entertaining the idea. Hubs likes the "new" factor of it. I like the "big ginormous hunk of land" aspects involved with this possible project.
We're still in the gestational phase of this, and we've definitely not made up our mind about it yet, but just for kicks the other day I drew out a grid of the lot to see how much square footage .6 acres actually is. It's a helluva lot of land. Like big enough to landscape it with my dream garden. Like big enough for an orchard, mini-vineyard, green house, mega-veg garden, outdoor kitchen, and chicken coop kind of big. Yup. That big.
It's cold here. Today is going to get down to about 13 degrees F. Spring and summer seem endlessly far away. All plant matter here, with the exception of a few valiant evergreens, is either frozen solid or straight up gone.  To help pass this frigid February day away, I started planning out my hypothetical dream garden on the big lot down the street. Here's what I would be growing this spring if I were to buy that land and build my own little house on it.
In the vegetable garden: scarlet runner beans, zucchini, cucumber, anaheim peppers, japapeño peppers, serrano peppers, poblano peppers, pumpkins (large, medium, and small), melons (cantaloupe, water, and gris de rennes), eggplant (traditional and japanese), tomatoes (black cherry, better boy, and early girl), corn (indian, sweet, and popcorn), okra, leeks, potatoes, tomatillo, garlic, beets. onions, peas, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries, and cabbage
In the herb garden: basil (both black and italian), rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, mint (peppermint and pineapple mint), ground strawberries, chives (garlic and regular), mammoth dill, cilantro, parsley, hibiscus, chamomile, and lemon grass
In the green house: dwarf citrus (lemon, lime, blood orange, sweet orange), fucsias, white and burgundy noche buenas, bouganvillia vine, gardenias
In the flower garden: roses (red, white, yellow, and pink... but mostly red and white), asiatic lilies in all colors, day lilies (stella del oro), sweet peas (dark purple, blue, red, and white), zinnias, dahlias, lavender (English, French, and Spanish... I gotta thing for them... big time), hollyhocks (traditional and double), foxglove, peonies, cerinthe, black eyed susans, cosmos, shasta daisies, purple cone flowers, stock, lilacs, hydrangeas, portulaca, ice plant, clematis vines, honeysuckle vines, trumpet vines, heliotropes, Scarlet O'Hara morning glory vines, Moon Flowers, nasturtiums, sweet williams, sunflowers, salvia, labernum trees, nicotiana, and poppies, poppies, poppies
In the orchard: Granny Smith Apples, Braeburn Apples, Concord Grapes, Red Raspberries, Golden Raspberries, Blackberries, Peach, Pear, Cherry, Nectarines, and love

I would spend the entire summer from May through September outdoors, digging, growing, and eating the fruits of my labors in Paradise. Did you know that Paradise comes from the ancient Persian word for "walled garden"? I'm telling you... it'd be just like heaven and you'd be invited.