YOUR BEAUTIFUL HOME

Sometimes, fertile soil can wait a long time before beautiful things grow in it.

When Dennis Hill purchased a new house on Five Mile Prairie, he was a busy man. The former high school principal worked 12- to 16-hour days. He enjoyed working outdoors but didn’t get a lot done on the raw landscape beyond hauling in dirt, building rock walls out of the tons of basalt scattered after the lot was blasted out and planting a few perennials.

It took a few years, a divorce, a heart attack, retirement and, five years ago remarriage, to plant the seeds of happiness in his garden, but these days Hill is satisfied with his lot.

“My wife Lori is a phenomenal woman,” Hill says. “She’s out there with me every day.”

The Hills have planted grapes and created a shade garden out of what used to be a sunbaked slope. Last summer they added a pergola to create the first of what they hope will evolve into several garden “rooms.”

“We have so much room to do stuff, and we’ve got a gorgeous view,” Hill says.

For him, the best part of the venture is the companionship.

“Lori is either out there with me, or I’m out there with her,” Hill says. “I’ve never had that kind of happiness.”