Hard Work!

Mother and Grandma told me countless times during my growing-up years, "Hard work never hurt anybody!" I live to say, "Yes!" to that today.

In my small back yard here in Lexington, Kentucky, I have a problem, a good problem: everything grows too well, especially the weeds.  In two mornings, I have filled a whole big yard waste recycle bin with weeds and a few clippings from my overgrown bushes.

Something left behind from when my son moved out last fall proved to be a tremendous help: thick knee pads I could put on both knees.  It made moving around on my knees very easy.

Minor "restructuring" or "re-defining" has also been accomplished.  The area on one side of the patio was overgrown with a variety of nasty weeds.  I clipped the big bush (mainly so I could see out my kitchen window!) and put mulch around it.  Then I covered up a large area with black "weed mat" and laid down a covering of pebbles.  On it now is a large flat rock and two terra cotta angels.  I'm quite pleased with the results.

The Patio Angels.

On the other side of the patio I have a few herbs - two kinds of parsley, green basil and red basil - that are doing very well.  I had two re-balance the concrete block on which was sitting my lovely stoneware bird bath which fell over and had to be repaired.  It's particularly precious to me since it was a present from a friend.  I put more mulch around it as well as pulling even more weeds.  And I trimmed another bush behind it.

Bird bath and herbs, seen from the patio.

Bird bath, seen from the yard, waiting for birds - and for me to fill it with water!

Meanwhile, I moved the hose around the front yard for 2 1/2 hours.  I will groan when I receive the water bill but one or two high water bills a year won't kill the budget the way dead grass would!  As I survey the yard, so many plants have been shared by family and friends that I've saved money there and have a very nice yard.

Summer is grand!  The yard and neighborhood is peaceful.  If I sit quietly on a patio chair, I'll start to notice all the birds and squirrels.  I haven't seen many chipmunks this year.  I wonder: have the suddenly more numerous (and larger) squirrels chased away the chipmunks?

Oh, I know that by the time October gets here, I'll be ready again for fall and colder weather just to have a rest from the hard, sweaty work in the yard.  But for now, it's wonderful!

Praise you, my Lord, for your beautiful plants and praise You for my strength and energy enough to push a full, heavy wheelbarrow everywhere, and for all the kneeling to pull nice plants which grew where I didn't want them!