Because we were gone for a few days, then came home to several days of rain, our yard was in desperate need of attention. In the past when our grass has gotten that high, we've found we have three options: cut it high and then cut it lower a 2nd time, cut it at the normal height and have glass clumps all over the yard which ultimately kill the grass (and get tracked in the house), or cut it at normal height and either go over all the clumps with the pusher mower to bag it or rake it all up. None are thrilling options. We were leaning for the first choice - cutting it 2x. While it seems like a waste of time and money, it actually is fast to do that than options 2 or 3.
So some teen boys were coming over to help, and I was going to start earlier and get as much of the first cut done as I could before they came...and the riding mower would not start. We replaced the battery and a few other parts last month, so I was more than a bit exasperated. I went to the nearby mini mart to get gas for the the push mower and weed eaters and started pruning shrubs when I got back. It was so hot that I had no track at time, but I was quite surprised when a flatbed pulled up. I thought it was the dealer coming to pick up our lawnmower, and was quite pleased that Bobby had called them and they had responded that fast. Usually it takes several days to get on the pick up list, and then it takes 2-3 weeks (at least!) for them to repair and return the mower. A few minutes later, Bobby came up and said "They got it fixed. The fuse was loose." I was like ...What?! And then I realized it was not the dealer who was there, but the boys who rent the farm from my Mom-in-law. They delivered her riding mower to us, AND repaired ours. What started out as head-butting session with reality turned into a blessing. One of the boys continued with the trim work, another took our mower and started on the back yard, and I started with Mrs. Bryan's mower doing the second cut on the front and finishing what had not been completed. We were able to TOTALLY finish the yard (cutting wise) before 1pm. They came back today and finished the trim work and did some around the pond. The ending of that story was certainly nothing like the beginning!
Meanwhile my nephew has a HUGE pile of topsoil behind his newly built house. He didn't let the builder haul it away because a relative said they wanted it, but after several months of staring at it, they've offered it up to anyone who will take it. They have someone coming this weekend, but he told me I could take what I wanted. So we loaded the wheelbarrow up the ramp in Bobby's van, and I've brought about 7 wheelbarrows full over since last night. We were able to fill up the gaping holes DOT left in the curb at our driveway (where they took our yard for the turn lane into the school), as well as a few holes left on the other end of our front yard where they raised the road. (They put in a silt fence for several months, and it had been raining when they came to pick it up and two pick-ups got stuck in our yard...yeah rah!) We quit at 11 this morning as I had a lot of indoor work to do. We were expecting company this weekend, but I got an e-mail saying no one was coming. My first thought was total relief! So I'm still pushing to get my projects done, but the zeal and panic is gone. We'll see whether or not that's a good thing.
I'm 3/4 finished with trimming the shrubs, 3/4 finished with cleaning the pantry, and I've currently got laundry going and am tackling a messy pile in the laundry room. My goal is to have at LEAST one of these projects completed before church tonight. And who knows? I may have started 3 others before the day is out.
So some teen boys were coming over to help, and I was going to start earlier and get as much of the first cut done as I could before they came...and the riding mower would not start. We replaced the battery and a few other parts last month, so I was more than a bit exasperated. I went to the nearby mini mart to get gas for the the push mower and weed eaters and started pruning shrubs when I got back. It was so hot that I had no track at time, but I was quite surprised when a flatbed pulled up. I thought it was the dealer coming to pick up our lawnmower, and was quite pleased that Bobby had called them and they had responded that fast. Usually it takes several days to get on the pick up list, and then it takes 2-3 weeks (at least!) for them to repair and return the mower. A few minutes later, Bobby came up and said "They got it fixed. The fuse was loose." I was like ...What?! And then I realized it was not the dealer who was there, but the boys who rent the farm from my Mom-in-law. They delivered her riding mower to us, AND repaired ours. What started out as head-butting session with reality turned into a blessing. One of the boys continued with the trim work, another took our mower and started on the back yard, and I started with Mrs. Bryan's mower doing the second cut on the front and finishing what had not been completed. We were able to TOTALLY finish the yard (cutting wise) before 1pm. They came back today and finished the trim work and did some around the pond. The ending of that story was certainly nothing like the beginning!
Meanwhile my nephew has a HUGE pile of topsoil behind his newly built house. He didn't let the builder haul it away because a relative said they wanted it, but after several months of staring at it, they've offered it up to anyone who will take it. They have someone coming this weekend, but he told me I could take what I wanted. So we loaded the wheelbarrow up the ramp in Bobby's van, and I've brought about 7 wheelbarrows full over since last night. We were able to fill up the gaping holes DOT left in the curb at our driveway (where they took our yard for the turn lane into the school), as well as a few holes left on the other end of our front yard where they raised the road. (They put in a silt fence for several months, and it had been raining when they came to pick it up and two pick-ups got stuck in our yard...yeah rah!) We quit at 11 this morning as I had a lot of indoor work to do. We were expecting company this weekend, but I got an e-mail saying no one was coming. My first thought was total relief! So I'm still pushing to get my projects done, but the zeal and panic is gone. We'll see whether or not that's a good thing.
I'm 3/4 finished with trimming the shrubs, 3/4 finished with cleaning the pantry, and I've currently got laundry going and am tackling a messy pile in the laundry room. My goal is to have at LEAST one of these projects completed before church tonight. And who knows? I may have started 3 others before the day is out.
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