Yard Work

Our back yard is huge, and with the California drought it's been nothing but dirt this past year. Well, a little rain has finally come to this dry land (hallelujah!) and suddenly an oasis of almost shin-high weeds appeared! We have an electric lawn mower, and with the grass being so wet, I was afraid I'd get electrocuted trying to cut through the thick, wet grass (I know someone who did). So I did what any sane person would do that didn't want to die before their time, ask the great guy who's been cutting our front yard for the last 17 years or so if he'd be interested in doing it on a regular basis.

We have always taken care of the back (cheaper to do it ourselves), but it kept getting away from us. We can't see it from our house because it's blocked by the garage and little house, so it's easy to put it out of our thoughts. So when the lawn guy was here last week I went out and talked to him, showed him the back yard and he said yes! He'll be doing it every two weeks during the winter. I'm so excited! To know it's in the hands of someone so dependable and conscious of doing a good job (and for a great price), well, it's taken a load off my back. Literally.  

I really wish we could see our back yard from inside our house. It's where the doggers like to hang out and provides us with some pretty beautiful sunsets. But I'm not complaining. I'm just grateful every day we have this place to call our own.

Yard Work

I mowed the back 40 yesterday, go me! You wouldn't think it would take two hours to mow this thing, but take my word for it, it does. There are so many obstacles, the sheds, trees, tree stumps, horse shoe backstops, rocks, cement. I don't know how many times I caught the blade on a rock, ugh. I still need to get at it with a weed-eater. Also, I wouldn't mind doing something to make that path you see (made by our dogs), permanent.

Today I pulled weeds along the side of the house. I feel accomplished! Sore, but I'm glad I don't have that niggling in the back of my mind. At least, for a while.

Found Objects

We had an unexpectedly gorgeous day, yay! In need of Vitamin D, I grabbed my new garden tools and went to work. I'm not a gardener in any sense of the word. Yard work is work. Period. But today I actually enjoyed playing in the dirt. I was grumbling to myself about how much work it is to get down to the roots of those weeds and get them out once and for all, and feeling old because nothing works as it used to (I really have to think about getting up and down off the ground!).

Then I thought about the devotional I had read that morning, about praying with a thankful heart. Instead of griping about the work that needed to be done, I thanked God for giving me the good health to be able to do it. I thanked God for the blessing of being a home-owner, for being able to be out there on such a beautiful day, safe in my own back yard, working to make it more attractive.

Pretty soon I wasn't minding being on my hands and knees, getting my hands dirty. I was sincerely appreciating the new set of tools I picked up at Costco the other day, especially the yellow cushion that padded my knees so they didn't hurt near as much as usual. And that nifty container to toss the weeds in, way better than making piles all over the sidewalk and then having to scoop them up and put them in the big ol' yard waste container that I would have had to drag, kicking and screaming, into the back yard.

And then little unexpected surprises began to appear as I dug deep into the soil. I knew there would be earth worms or possibly a salamander or two, but what I didn't expect was the tiny plastic Barbie shoe, the opalescent glazed piece of ceramic, the pretty green chunk of glass, a tiny pumpkin garland or my favorite find, a tiny white button!

Pretty soon I found myself turning the soil not only to get to the roots of the pesky weeds, but in anticipation of another surprise. Hmm...now that I think about it, it's kind of like the way we live our lives, getting through the muck and the mud in order to enjoy the little discoveries and joys we uncover along the way. I'm very thankful for it all.