Friday, March 21, 2008

Spring and yardwork!

As I have noted, spring is here. That always brings joy to my heart.

Except when I realize what that means.

Yes, it means warmer temperatures and beautiful blue sky days.

But . . . it also means . . . . . . . yardwork!

Now, normally, I shuffle most of this off onto SWMBO and the BRD. But the BRD has been busy and SWMBO has been having a problem with a wrist she broke many years ago so . . .

That leaves me.

First job, doing some pruning on our mimosa tree.


Now, I must admit that SWMBO did the original cuts but then called on me to get some of the higher branches.

Incidentally, that tree behind the mimosa is a Globe Willow.

It always buds up and greens out about a month before the mimosa, which has caused me to refer every year to the latter as "The Dead Stick." I threaten every year to just cut it down because it is obviously dead and a blight on my landscape. I bet if Meggie's GOM was here we could get the job done before the girls would notice.


But, to continue, next on my item of hacking and slashing was what SWMBO calls the Fountain Grass. I should have photographed it before I starting cutting because I thought it looked quite nice, tawny in the sun with curling fronds. But SWMBO said fresh green growth was starting to show so it needed a haircut. Here's what's left (poor thing.)

SWMBO thinks this should be shorter so I guess I'll be back out there.

BTW, while out laboring in the balmy sun today, I noticed the mailman coming.

Remember when mail jeeps were red, white and blue? Well, take a look at this one:

The driver says the color change is because the Postal Department doesn't own the jeeps now. He's a contract worker and says when he bought the jeep he wanted something that would stand out. As I told him, I don't think there's much danger of anyone hitting him by accident.

13 comments:

  1. Looks like you have your work cut out for you!

    Thankfully I just have to mow down my jungle 3 or 4 times throughout the warm seasons.

    And the jeep - ridiculous. I'm sure he needs the rubicon edition for the mail route...
    "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor boulders and mud stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds"

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  2. Thankfully I just have to mow down my jungle 3 or 4 times throughout the warm seasons.

    Are you kidding, Tombo? I thought you lived in CV, where nothing grows! :D

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  3. No, I live in Chino Valley, where nothing pretty or beautiful grows. The weeds however... give them a little moisture and pretty soon they are literally waist high.

    I give it about another month and a half before I have to bust out the lawn mower.

    And if you have a wimpy little lawn mower like I do, you have to get creative with chopping down the ridiculous amount of vegetation.

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  4. I just can't get my mind around spring when we are in the midst of a snow storm that they say might dump upwards of a foot of snow on us.

    Nope, just can't think about spring right now.

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  5. Mike

    Spring is here
    Look at the snow a-falling
    Isn't the weather
    A-palling.
    Spring is here.

    Although the roads are icy,
    And getting to work is dicey,
    Spriiiiii-nnnnn-ggg
    is here!

    Oh, my dear.
    Spring
    ....is
    ......here!

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  6. Spring, eh? As I sit here typing, there is sleet and a howling gale outside the window. :-( x

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  7. About half the snow is gone and I actually saw two folks out raking their yards yesterday. It's been a snowy, windy winter here and everything is a mess. Maybe I can get out into the yard this week and start... I am SO ready to do some work outside.

    Great pics!

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  8. Lovely blue skies there though!

    All our posties' cars and vans are that colour here. C'est le couleur de la poste!

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  9. Tombo - I had a landlord once who used a homemade flame thrower to crisp his weeds. Scared the hell out of me, especially when our wood pile accidentally caught fire.

    Kitty - I think that's why our Colonists left England!

    Colonel - I think that's why my ancestors left Massachusetts and New York! (Maybe not, since they moved to Minnesota and North Dakota!)

    Lucy - I wonder how my mailman would like being referred to as a "postie." I'll try it on him . . from a distance!

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  10. Spring! I thought it would never get here! Although I've seen snow in June and at the end of August so I never count on the warm days lasting..

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  11. Brain - Oh, please don't tell me. Not snow in June and August!

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  12. Cat! Gom would be in his absolute element!! He would be delirious with joy to find a kindred spirit.
    I have been watching him carefully as he returns from poo patrol!

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  13. Meggie (and GOM) = Well, better keep him down there then. Actually once the tree finally decides to put out its foliage, I truly like it. (except the part that hangs over the driveway and my car!)

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