The Back Forty.

So I attempted to tackle our back forty since the weather has been cooperating lately. No, it’s not the lower forty acres like the wheat fields I grew up with. Instead it’s more like 40 bags of grass, or 40 bushels of dandelions, take your pick. With all the rain and no let up, the back lawn was looking more like a mountain meadow. Knee-high grass anyone.


So I pulled our ole’ reliable Toro lawnmower out from under the deck and proceeded to mow. Every 20 feet or so I had to stop to empty the mower bag it was so full. Needless to say – my progress was slow.

The girls, enchanted by playing outside in such nice weather were having fun playing with Itchy the dog, and rolling around in the tall grass out of reach of Itchys chain of course. I then encouraged them to pick me as many sunshine flowers (dandelions) as they could. But when I turned around they were busy blowing additional seeds everywhere.

Great, more flowers, I mean weeds to look forward too.

So I changed tactics and persuaded them to pick up toys and sticks so I wouldn’t pulverize some treasure as I hacked my way through the jungle growth with ole’ Toro. When I paused again to check on their progress they were busy collecting cherry blossoms off our cherry tree. Apparently they wanted to make a petal path for our future fairy garden. ‘Swell,’ I thought, ‘Now we won’t have any cherries because what bee is going to pollinate a stick.’

Time to try something new – I then sent them to the old play area with specific instructions to find as many white pebbles as they could for their future fairy path. That seemed to do the trick and keep them happily busy. Later I found they brought the pebbles into the house and stashed them in whatever drawer and container they could find. When you have a bucket or two of small rocks they are bound to scatter to every possible nook and cranny. Time to find a broom. Is there anything I can suggest that they do that won't require twice as much work in the long run? I don't think so.

I suppose ole’ Toro was sick of the frequent stops, either that or I have the strength of Wonder Woman, because I yanked the starter cord right out of the engine.

So much for tackling the lawn.

I couldn’t waste such nice weather so I instead focused my energies on another eye sore. I have to, you know because I don’t get those energy surges very often. And they never happen when the weather is hot. So Spring is the best time to tackle the unsightlys for me. Believe it or not, yard work, is my kind of release. The plants don’t talk back, and it takes me back to my childhood farm memories.

So anyway, the front flower bed or more appropriately our front weed bed was the new focus of my yard work aggression.

I think I did o.k.

It now just needs some flowers and a little edging, before all those dandelion seeds take root. That and I’m sending off Prince Erik to the local home improvement store in hopes that they carry starter cords so we don’t have to replace the whole lawnmower.

Up Next... The Secret Garden.