At least I have a lawn to mow

When I was a kid, our house was on an acre and a half of land. Dad would, of course, have to mow the lawn with a riding lawn mower.

I still remember one of the first times I got to mow the lawn. Yes, I said “got to” as opposed to “had to” because it was something I really wanted to do! I wanted to help out. It made me feel grown up. It felt good to be able to look back and see what I had done.

I also misjudged how much room it took to turn the mower, and I ran into the side of the house. It was a lawn mower, and I was hardly moving. No damage or injury other than my pride. But its one of those mental images that forever resides in my mental photo album. One I laugh at now. But at the time, I remember feeling a little silly having to go get help…

179: Lawn work
My husband working on our lawn.

(Here I am at 29, and I still have to go get help sometimes while doing lawn work. My husband, thankfully, has wonderful patience with my ability to kill my trimmer repeatedly and my subsequent, “I know what I am doing!” indignation to any advice he has about how to NOT kill said trimmer.)

I enjoy doing lawn work. Unfortunately, I often get a sinus infection (something I chronically fight), so a lot of times I’ll bow out of participating when my husband goes out to mow. That, or its just too darn hot! Or I am on a deadline.  But some days, I just want to get outside and work in my yard!

A few weeks ago, my husband and I had to invest in a new trimmer. It was one of those unexpected expenses that a person is never truly prepared to handle, but it is cheaper to handle it right then, than it is to wait. So, you juggle the finances and you squeeze out the funds.

We picked out one that I could use easily myself, and its allowed me to be outside working right along side my husband, making our house look nice and neat.

I always think about something he said the day we bought it, and that was that he had wanted his own yard to have to mow for years. So, he’s not going to complain about the work or the expense, because it’s a blessing just to have a lawn in the first place.

One afternoon this week, we went on a walk through our neighborhood. We commented repeatedly about landscaping our neighbors had done. We’d point out things we liked. We’d make note of things we didn’t like as much. We’ve been doing battle with a horrible case of bagworms, so my husband was really on the watch for those in other’s trees. It’s as if we’ve had a whole renewal of interest in our OWN yard!

Temperatures here have finally become more manageable for awhile, so yesterday we attacked the yard. He mowed while I trimmed. He trimmed trees while I pressure washed the patio. We ended the day discussing other things we want to do soon.

It’s hard work. I’ve never been one you’d accuse of having a green thumb, but its something I do enjoy. It has its hidden expenses. I might a sinus infection from the pollens it kicks up. I have a little catch in my back, and my shoulders will be sore for a couple days.  But at the end of it all, I can look around and see what we accomplished. And I end up remembering to be thankful… at least I have a lawn to mow.