Working In The Garden...Some People Love It

Tonight I stepped outside as the sun slowly set over a dead sea, the air full of pollen and the smell of spring. Dogs ran about. Neighbors were testing their irrigations systems, preparing for the days when rain-baring clouds are few and far between.

I so wish I loved spring more.

It's not my favorite season.

Not even close.

This spring brings some changes, the biggest being, I no longer have to commute to work. Well, technically, I do commute, a sixty-second trip to the basement. And, on my commute, it's impossible not to see the yard. 

I do love where we live. I love the four seasons. I love how just when you're getting sick of the cold in winter it starts to get warmer, and just when you start to get sick of the heat in summer, things start to cool down. If only I could afford to pay someone to do all my yard work for me. It would be heaven.

Then there are the people who either love to do yard work, or they don't necessarily like yard work but they love how their yard looks after putting in all that work, or they may not like yard work, or they way it looks, but they're worried about what the neighbors think when it comes to how theirs (and everyone else's...) yard looks.

Just a hunch, but I think I've covered all aspects here.

I always have grand plans to get out in the yard and pull weeds, and mow grass, and trim sidewalks, and pull more weeds. Maybe, because I don't have to spend an hour or more in the car each work day, I might actually do the work I wish was done. Time will tell.

It's Just Yard Work...

 The other day, as I shoveled the driveway after the latest storm, a thought came to me. It was one of those thoughts that you want to throw out when someone says something and you want to respond with a comment that's well thought out, something that you believe smart people say at the drop of a hat.

Okay, this thought isn't all that "smart." But it was something I could have said when people say something like, "Oh, I just LOVE yard work! I cannot get enough yard work! If I could do nothing but yard work, my life would be complete! Yard work is great--yippie!"

Yeah, during those times.

I thought that when someone can't believe how much fun it is to be outside in the spring/summer/fall pulling weeds and dealing with sneeze-inducing pollen, virus-infected mosquitos and melanoma-causing sunburns, I could just turn to them and say:

"But I'll bet you hate shoveling show in the winter. Why? I wonder. After all, that's yard work, too."

I've blogged before about how much I really enjoy winter. I think that the world covered in a blanket of snow is one of the most beautiful things God ever made. Sure, it's a pain to drive in it sometimes and shoveling show all day can sure do a number on your back (and heart...), but for me, it's worth the price. Many of my friends tolerate winter because they know it leads to spring. For me, I tolerate the rest of the year because I know in just a few month (like, nine...), the days will get shorter, the temperatures will lower and snow will once again cover up all of those summer responsibilities. 

So next time it snows, don't complain--just think of it as a little bonus yard work. Enjoy!