Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Green Barrels
What is it about an empty green barrel that plunges me into a frenzy of backbreaking work I wasn't planning to do so I can fill it before the garbage collector comes? Why can't I just leave it sitting there like every other sane person in the neighborhood? Maybe part of the reason is that green barrels are currently our only method of transporting dead (or otherwise undesirable) foliage out of my beloved yard and into the land fill. And maybe part of it is that I'd so much rather dig in the dirt than do laundry, cleaning, errands, or almost anything else I can think of. I grabbed a shovel, a pruner, and what fortitude I could muster and attacked our winter-killed ficus trees. The limbs were thick but brittle, and I managed to cut through them, but the roots were very determined to stay put. This surprised me, since the trees definitely gave up the ghost some months ago. There is a quote by Matthew McConaughey (bless his beautiful heart/face) that gave me inspiration today. "I love having my hands in the dirt. It is never a science and always an art. There are no rules. And if it comes down to me versus that weed that I'm trying to pull out of the ground that doesn't want to come out? I know I'll win." I kept telling myself today that I was going to win. Those roots gave me a royal battle and I have to admit, I'm glad you couldn't see (or hear) me during the altercation. One of them almost got the better of me. I'm gonna be sore tomorrow, but guess what? I won!
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3 comments:
My yard efforts were much more low-key today, but I made an effort for a similar reason: the lawn guys came at 2:00 and mowed up all the little clippings I didn't want to pick out of the grass. All I did was cut down my daffodils and crocuses (the shears I got were NOT very sharp), but I feel amazingly triumphant.
go mom! and heidi! wow, am i the only one of the dixons that is a major loser when it comes to green things? lol. congrats on your satisfying day in the garden. that's happy. oh, and yes, yes, bless his heart/face! lol!
WTG Clod! When you recover from your epic battle, do you want to come over and take a pass at our neighborhood ficus trees? They're looking pretty poorly and now I guess I have a better idea why the estimate to have them all removed was $35,000!
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