The Yard

My husband has been working LOTS of hours this summer & I have been charged with maintaining the yard. I use the word "maintain" loosely because I don't even come close to keeping it up like my husband does. When he does it the yard looks like something out of a Better Homes and Garden magazine. When I do it - yea, not so much.

The heat this summer has taken it's toll on the yard and I've had a hard time keeping it watered and green. Someday we'll have a sprinkler system to do the work for us.

When you do the yard work you notice lots of things that you normally don't see.

Like the damage done to the aspen trees by our resident moose. I'm torn because I'm sympathetic to the Momma Moose. After all, she just lost her baby and I'm sure she's hanging around because she's hoping her baby will come back, but is it really necessary to destroy our trees?  There's lots more trees to choose from besides ours.  Silly Moose!

And these tumbleweeds!  Have you ever had a tumbleweed sliver?  It's painful!  I've since learned to use leather gloves when removing them from the yard.

Oh tumblin' tumbleweed. Couldn't you tumble somewhere else?

In the past when I've mowed the lawn it's taken me 3 hours because I felt like I was going to pass out at any moment from lack of oxygen and water! But this summer I've been able to cut my time in 1/2. (Except for when I stop to blog because my mind is racing with all these random, pointless thoughts.) I'm sure the reward of a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream waiting for me in the freezer helps motivate me to move right along.

The best part about mowing the lawn is this:

I HATE these! It goes back to a time when I was 20 something and my nephews were naughty little boys (ages 10, 8, & 6), and they tortured me by chasing me into a bathroom with a grasshopper. It was a terrible experience and I've been traumatized ever since. Anyway, when I mow the lawn these little suckers hop for their lives to keep from getting torn to bits by the lawn mower blade.  It gives me great pleasure! Just sayin'...

But probably the most important thing I've noticed while doing the yard work is how much I appreciate my husband. Stepping into his shoes this summer has made me realize how hard he works at keeping this place in tip-top shape. One thing's for sure, I don't tell him enough how much I appreciate him and all that he does for this family!  Love ya honey!