The front yard, in short, was a mess! It had already undergone one cut - but was in dire need of another.
Starting early Friday morning, I trimmed all along the driveway, curbside and sidewalk to the back yard, as well as along the house perimeter. There was a TON of stuff to sweep up. Then I raked. And raked. And raked. One large plastic garbage container filled with yard waste. Then I mowed the lawn. Back and forth, back and forth. Although it looks really good in the photographs, most of the lawn has been taken over by a form of wide-blade bent grass that has overrun the well-behaved blue grass, and it's a real SOB to cut! Thus I have to go over it four-five times from different angles, wasting a lot of gasoline and muscle power in the process, and even then I don't get it all because the blades "lay down" on top of the soil, and only pop up again once all danger of being mowed has passed! This grass is sentient, I swear. After 8 p.m. I went back out and swept up the leavings from the lawn mowing that got blown out onto the driveway and into the curbside.
I went out front this morning at 8 a.m. to sweep up the deposits of dead grass, leaves and gunk that is always deposited in my curbside gutters after yesterday's rain. After I finished that, I started picking dandelions. I thought - this won't be hard, there aren't that many of them.
HA! You know how those nasty dandelions are. Whenever you think you've picked the last one, you turn around and see another one way across the yard that you could not have possibly missed and yet, somehow, you did.
At least I succeeded in picking off every single dandelion head that I could get my hands on. My poor fingernails! My poor hands! Ground in grime! I've scrubbed and scrubbed and still can't get rid of it! Goodbye, gorgeous natural nails that I sported in Las Vegas (not that anyone noticed). But for now, at least, my lawn is yellow-free! Within a few days, hopefully, the weed killer will take effect and temporarily wipe out the dandelions and clover and creeping charlie.
In the meantime, my lawn looks okay, if you don't look too closely. No competition, though, for my neighbors on 81st street (a few blocks to the east). I don't know what the hell they do, but they have absolutely PERFECT grass. How is that possible? Talk about anal obsessive -- I've been going to the front door every 30 minutes or so and looking to see if any new dandelions have dared to open their faces to the sun! I'm ready to ambush them!
Right now, though, I've got lunch heating in the microwave and a chair calling to me from the deck, which is still shaded. After I eat and have a glass of wine I may feel ready to start more clean-up out back. And if I'm very lucky, before those severe thunderstorms we're promised for later today blow in, I can get the mower out and at least get a once-over to some of those dandelions growing with wild abandon!
I'm going to sit on the deck now, and have a glass of wine.
The front yard, in short, was a mess! It had already undergone one cut - but was in dire need of another.
Starting early Friday morning, I trimmed all along the driveway, curbside and sidewalk to the back yard, as well as along the house perimeter. There was a TON of stuff to sweep up. Then I raked. And raked. And raked. One large plastic garbage container filled with yard waste. Then I mowed the lawn. Back and forth, back and forth. Although it looks really good in the photographs, most of the lawn has been taken over by a form of wide-blade bent grass that has overrun the well-behaved blue grass, and it's a real SOB to cut! Thus I have to go over it four-five times from different angles, wasting a lot of gasoline and muscle power in the process, and even then I don't get it all because the blades "lay down" on top of the soil, and only pop up again once all danger of being mowed has passed! This grass is sentient, I swear. After 8 p.m. I went back out and swept up the leavings from the lawn mowing that got blown out onto the driveway and into the curbside.
View of back yard to the south. Oy - I look and all I can see if all the work I still need to do. Dandelions everywhere! |
HA! You know how those nasty dandelions are. Whenever you think you've picked the last one, you turn around and see another one way across the yard that you could not have possibly missed and yet, somehow, you did.
At least I succeeded in picking off every single dandelion head that I could get my hands on. My poor fingernails! My poor hands! Ground in grime! I've scrubbed and scrubbed and still can't get rid of it! Goodbye, gorgeous natural nails that I sported in Las Vegas (not that anyone noticed). But for now, at least, my lawn is yellow-free! Within a few days, hopefully, the weed killer will take effect and temporarily wipe out the dandelions and clover and creeping charlie.
In the meantime, my lawn looks okay, if you don't look too closely. No competition, though, for my neighbors on 81st street (a few blocks to the east). I don't know what the hell they do, but they have absolutely PERFECT grass. How is that possible? Talk about anal obsessive -- I've been going to the front door every 30 minutes or so and looking to see if any new dandelions have dared to open their faces to the sun! I'm ready to ambush them!
Looking northwest, backyard. More mess to clean. |
Looking north. Front yard - okay for now. Back yard - UGH! |
I'm going to sit on the deck now, and have a glass of wine.
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