Mud, Be Gone!

This summer, we tried really hard to get the grass regrown after the last tenants neglect, but we could only get half the yard green again.  And lately with the changing weather, we have had a horrible mud in the house situation with the dogs.  Unlike people, they don't care that they get muddy as they play in the back yard, and they care even less that they drag it into the house, on our couch and all over our bed.  If you have never laid on a dirt filled bed, be happy, it's horrible!    
After talking it over with my dad, he came up with a great suggestion.  Place some hay on the mud and then place chicken wire on top to keep the hay in place.  Genius!
So first, I had to start by finding out where I could buy some hay.  At first, it seemed really difficult, until I realized that it's October, and with October comes hay for hay rides and fall like decor for your front yard.  So lucky for me,  Home Depot ended up being my one stop shop.  I went in, and with a little help from the staff, I was able to find everything I needed.  I even threw in a thing of grass seed to place under the hay in hopes that I'll find grass come Spring.
Loading up the hay in my car was frustrating, not only because I bought 4 bales and was worried it wouldn't all fit in my car, but because it ended up being extremely messy and my car is brand new.

It Fit!

Once I got it home, John came out and helped me get it all into the backyard.  Since we bought grass seed, we started by racking the muddy spots in the backyard.  All the advice we had been given was to rack those areas to help the seed take.  

Before

As you can see, it was pretty bad!  Once we got the mud racked we began to place down the seed. 

We started getting all the hay placed down over the seed and then began to cover it with the chicken wire.  

I do believe that we solved our problem!  I'm so happy to not have to deal with dirty floors, dirty sheets and a dirty couch anymore!  I know that we need to put more stakes down to make sure it's completely secure, but other than that the project is done!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to vacuum out my brand new car!