I Fought the Lawn
July 14, 2006 - 11:07 a.m.
You know your lawn is looking bad when landscapers are stalking you. Well, one landscaper, but it was enough to give me a major COMPLEX on top of my twinges of guilt.
Tuesday evening, walking from my mailbox to my house (across the street and down one), a truck drove slowly behind me (Lost? Waiting for me to cross? Hit man hired by some mortal enemy?), and just as I stepped onto my walkway, the driver pulled aside me and lowered the window. Ah, lost.
Wrong.
He introduced himself and told me where he lived (the street parallel to my mailbox). He had a landscaping service, and he offered his services. He wasn�t pushy and quoted me a reasonable fee.
Color me ashamed.
�Yeah, I know. It�s looking pretty bad. I�ve been waiting for a dip in the humidity.�
He was politely nonjudgmental. I asked for his card.
The last time the lawn had been mown was three (3�?) weeks ago. I don�t mind the physical activity. It�s not strenuous, thanks to my self-propelled, mulching mower � no heavy pushing, no raking or bagging. It�s the heat and humidity I loathe.
(Is it any wonder that my sporting activities of choice have been ice skating, swimming, skiing, kayaking, and bowling? Sure, I can work up a sweat at any of them but never uncomfortably so. I can�t run or play tennis to save myself, and it�s just as well. Way too sweaty.)
So, mowing the lawn when the heat index climbs and I end up completed sweat-soaked to the skin is no picnic. Sweaty underwear and a ponytail that I can wring out? No, thanks.
Take one such too-warm weekend, add a too busy with other commitments weekend, and you get an overgrown lawn. To be honest, it�s not so much the grass that�s overgrown as it is the weeds. Sun or shade, drought resistant little motherfuckers, standing tall above the grass.
I should point out, though, that my yard does not look like an abandoned vacant lot. Just about everything is in bloom: impatiens, pink geranium, black-eyed susans, blanketflower, balloon flower, coneflower, coreopsis, shasta daisies, hosta, lambs� ears, daylilies, hydrangea. Lots of color from every angle.
Still, something needed to be done. Soon.
I could have engaged a neighbor�s son or even Ken the Local Stalker Landscaper, but I would have felt bad hiring someone to tackle my neglected mess. Going forward, I know Cody and Chris are up for the job (according to dads Greg and Carlos), but I must admit that I�m fearful they will run over my daylily border or take out my herb garden or some other similar mowing mishap.
I checked the weather forecast. After Wednesday, it was several days of 90-degree humidity sandwiched between possible thunderstorms days. Wednesday, despite being humid, would be mid-80�s and overcast.
I called in sick on Wednesday. Does an overgrown lawn complex qualify as an illness? I fired up the mower around 9:15 and was done by 10:30. (Usually, it takes just under an hour, but I was slightly hindered by the density of growth.)
There. Done. T-shirt wet but not completely soaked; ponytail not saturated.
The forecasted highs: 89-93-96-99. Good timing.
Whew!
Autumn
Trick or Treat - November 02, 2007
Autumn Has Left the Building - July 19, 2007
The Nail - June 04, 2007
Ungolding - June 01, 2007
Bollocks - May 29, 2007