"Gimme the marker, Dude. I'm marking it 8."

A little under two years and a couple of herds ago, this was the view from the Dougie House back deck:

And now, what was once an impenetrable thicket of honeysuckle, wisteria, privet and English ivy has been been replaced with a lush, inviting landscape, like something out of an Irish tourism brochure:

From Platoon to Braveheart. From DK's Barrel Blast Jungle to the hills outside of Hyrule.

And, as if retaking control of the yard wasn't good enough, the plant you see thriving is a native - Jewelweed. Here's the best part: Jewelweed is Mother Nature's remedy for poison ivy reactions. Uh, yes please. Now we've got an endless supply of the magic plant the next time I inevitably rub Satan's ivy all over my face...