A Bloom & Feather backyard reset series

🪶The Mess

The Original Greenhouse Dream

I built my greenhouse out of old windows and a Pinterest dream.

I had never built anything before. We had no extra money — my husband had just come home from open heart surgery — but I had time, free Facebook Marketplace finds, and a stubborn vision of sunlight pouring through glass.

I imagined seedlings on shelves. A small pond. Coffee in the morning while hummingbirds hovered outside.

For a while, that’s exactly what it was.

And then I brought home ducks.

---

🪶What It Actually Looks Like Now

Now?

It’s an absolute mess.

When the ducks were little, I had them tucked safely behind a baby gate so they’d stay near the heater and out of the pond when I wasn’t watching them.

As they got older, I gave them more freedom in the shed.

That was my mistake.

They took over the pond. Ate every aquatic plant. Turned water splashing into a full-body sport. And they use the entire shed as their personal restroom. (In their defense… that’s just how ducks operate.)

Even with weekly cleanings, it still feels like a yucky, mucky situation.

It no longer feels like a greenhouse.

It feels like duck headquarters.

---

🪶Less Chaos, Better Systems

Here’s the surprising part:

I don’t actually feel frustrated.

I don’t feel guilty.

I don’t even feel overwhelmed.

I just feel ready.

Ready to make it a better environment — for them and for me.

Ducks are messy. That’s not going to change.

But I can change the system.

If I design the space better, the mess doesn’t have to spread everywhere.

---

🪶The Bigger Metaphor

Talk about unexpected life philosophy from three webbed feet.

Life is messy. Growth is chaotic. Dreams evolve.

But systems matter.

When things feel scattered, it usually isn’t because the dream was wrong — it’s because the structure needs adjusting.

Who knew I’d learn that from ducks?

---

🪶Operation: Reclaim the Greenhouse

So next week, I’m making a plan.

We’ll call it Operation Reclaim the Greenhouse.

Here’s what I’m thinking so far:

• A new nesting and bedding system
• A better feeding and watering setup
• Moving aquatic plants out of duck-bill reach
• Rethinking the pond (are ducks allowed in… or not?)
• New flooring that’s easier to clean
• Adding back plant shelves
• Possibly installing a rainwater collection system

The shed may not go back to what it was.

But maybe it can become something better — something that works.

Next week, I’m mapping it out.