It took me six hours to do the yard yesterday. Normally I run across the green stuff in an hour, using only one tank of gas. But in letting the grass get so high [wasn't me - it was the rain] I believe I set a new mowing record of 3 1/2 hours, 3 1/2 tanks of gas.
The St. Augustine was no problem; it was the really fast growing, tough grass that kicked my mower’s butt.
Then came the edging and trimming, of which I dare not speak. Too many bad memories, bloody shins.

It wasn’t fun; it was hot, filthy, bug infested work, and at the end of the six hours I couldn’t lift my arms to flick the gnats away anymore. Arthur pulled up just as I was putting everything away… I was trying to get the mower -still dripping wet- into the garage and he put it in for me. I’d coiled the electrical cords onto the ground because I couldn’t lift them, so he put those away as well.

Every time I do the yard I wonder at the people who choose lawn maintenance as a career. Are they working themselves up to Landscape Architect? Did they lose a bet or simply can’t get a job anywhere else? Well, I feel for them. And Lord help me, I also get a slight kick of moral/physical superiority when I see the neighborhood women driving by, looking at me working in the yard like I’m a throwback to Laura Ingalls. Well, I’d rather be Laura than Paris.

God is merciful, and nothing hurt this morning. My muscles were tired, yes, but I spent so many years working out that I know and even appreciate that feeling. But otherwise fine.

I was making coffee when YsD opened her door and peeked out. Finding nothing to startle, she began walking in my direction. One look told her to stop and turn around.

See, it’s my deal, not hers. I don’t expect any help from her - on any level. But when she’s not worked in a day or two and won’t work that night or the next day, but still doesn’t do anything to help or clean her room… nothing productive… I just didn’t want to look at her. I was tired.
Today, I’m sure she’ll still lie in bed and read romance novels. When she’s not working it’s how she spends her life… which is stupendously sad, IMO. But it’s her life and not mine, so that’s okay. It just wasn’t okay this morning before coffee.

I took this ’series’ of badly put together images about five days ago… thought the clouds were really cool; they ringed the entire house. I just turned and shot, as one does when one can not afford a panoramic lens.
WordPress made the thumb really small; you’ll have to click on it to see much of anything, sorry.