spring cleaning

• Transplant tomatoes into larger pots.
• Plant seeds in flats.
• Use the edger on the driveway and walkway.
• Mow the side lawn with the reel mower.
• Rake the back yard.
• Find and destroy or seriously maim honeysuckle vine (damn honeysuckle).
• Dump dirt into the holes Petey made this year (damn dog).
• Pick up the broken wood from around the mailbox (vandals!).
• Use weed killer in the back yard.
• Use the saw on the hedge along the fence line.
• Use the saw on the trees against the house, take them down to the ground.
• Use the saw on the rest of the limbs of the crape myrtle near the house.
• Pull weeds in the garden plot.
• Bag yard waste for the trash guys.

Is there any wonder that I see condo or apartment living as a more attractive alternative to home ownership every single year, and right around this time?

About a month ago, I did a strange thing. I purchased a reel mower. My reasoning was this. I was tired of mower maintenance. I wanted to mow without buying gas (yes, I'm still kind of cheap). I also wanted to be able to mow while bird watching.

This has become something else however. It's pointing out all the flaws in my lawn. There are many. For one, it's nearly impossible to mow over tall grass. That stuff needs to come out. I have plenty of the nice, tender, even grass. It's beautiful. Then there's a tuft of thick nasty grass. It's also nearly impossible to mow over a twig. I have lots of those in the grass too. My neighbors have these really tall trees, and they drop twigs constantly. I need to keep them raked up. It's also really hard to mow over holes. I have tons of those too, because I own a dog who thinks digging is a great way to pass the time. He's either hunting moles or secretly hoping he can bury his sister Mollie and I won't notice.

So the yard needs lots of work, lots of patience. But it needs to be done. It has been neglected, and the only person I can blame is myself. I need to make the yard easier to maintain. And I have to tell you, the concept of lawn tool maintenance is starting to impact me. I bought this little hand saw last weekend -- $22. It is BRILLIANT. Man, oh man! I've been using long handled trimmers on the hedge on my fence for years, and I would run out of steam trying to get everything. This thing is massive. We're talking 8-9 feet tall. My neighbor has to hate it. Plus that, there's another tree buried inside, and honeysuckle is wrapped around all that.

But tonight, I started raking. Why? I was scared of attacking the hedge. Then I got up the nerve and decided to test it out. I THINK IT MUST BE MADE OF DIAMONDS. It ate through the trunk of the tree like butter. Before I knew it, I had taken out the hedge, down to the fence line. I wish I knew how to kill tree stumps. I'm gonna hate digging that out. But now I'm actually EAGER to attack the trees that have grown in my azalea bushes.

And if it takes me all summer, I'm going to sort out my yard. By the time I get done, it's going to be easy to maintain. Not only because I need something easier to maintain, but because I want it to appeal to renters. Or future homeowners. Curb appeal. Backyard appeal. It's the same thing in this camp. We're gonna make it happen.

Now, if I can just get someone to loan me their truck. I have a HECK of a lot of tree limbs to dump.


--Laura