Do I Need to Mow?

A brief excursion to the back yard this afternoon reminded me that I need to do some yard work!   At least in this section. The area under the bird feeder has been visited again by whatever critters are finding it so attractive.  I raked up another batch of grass clumps, fifteen or more, while I was out. Methinks I need to stay up one night and peer out the window to see if I can spy the culprit(s).  

Sunshine today and through Saturday, then more rain.  Ah, well. It's coming on Spring!  

Tomorrow is also a day.

76 and Dry

You think I'm referencing my age and a lack of alcoholic beverages don't you?

If so, shame on you! The former was the temperature at 7:15 this evening, and the latter the state of the weather. 

"So what?" you may ask.

It was a good afternoon to mow down the weeds, that's what!  What grass I have is still tan and crunchy, but the henbit, ground ivy, Spring Beauties, chickweed and the like have been growing like, dare I say, "weeds," giving both my front and back yards a very unkempt look. 

My hand-me-down lawnmower which, unfortunately, spent both summer and winter, rain, sleet, snow and gloom of night sitting outside next to the shed with a cover over the motor, started on the first pull and ran like a champ!  I probably need to take it to the service place to have the blades sharpened but I have no complaints about the way it runs.  I ran out of steam before it ran out of gasoline; there is a small patch under a yard swing which still needs to be mowed, but I had not the energy to move the swing.

While mowing, I found two well developed Sweet Autumn Clematis (SAC)  plants under my Japanese Maple tree. I dug these with a trowel and moved them next to two of the columns on my front porch. I already have a three or four year old SAC on one of the three columns. I hope these two do as well.  SAC, which bloom in late July/early August, have very small, very fragrant white blooms; to me, they smell like the best grade of honey.

 There is much weed eating around the edges remaining, but that's a task for another day. I did get one lily bed cleaned out, as well; it needs a good watering and an application of mulch to keep the weeds down.


More, later.

Where Did Spring Go?

I spent the first part of this week working inside, in the church office on Monday, then keeping an eagle eye on my 4 year old granddaughter at her home on Tuesday and Wednesday while her mother was elsewhere. I had hoped to work in my trashy uh, beginning-to-be-overgrown, abandoned-looking must-soon-be-mowed-and-edged yard today and tomorrow, but...

...good grief! Where did Spring go? It's after 7 p.m. as I write this, and it's 86 degrees outside -- in the shade! When I engage in physical exertion, which working in the yard certainly entails, I tend to melt into a puddle, i.e., sweat like a horse! My northern European genes don't like the heat -- not one bit!

I can see right now that I'll have to be in the yard at first light tomorrow or I'm going to have to rent some goats!

Image: Wikipedia