Foliage

Jun 6, 2003

Leaving work early to mow the yard is not normally something I look
forward to. Today was no exception.

But I did it anyway. Cambell’s dedication is this weekend and,
as expected, a little shindig will occur at our home afterwards.
The yard, along with the rest of the house, needed to be in
tip top shape. Mission accomplished, at least as far as the
outside of the house is concerned.

I didn’t leave it at just the yard, though. I applied the
weed whacker to the sidewalks and the fence. I used my
chainsaw on a stick to get at those low lying branches.
I also trimmed both the bushes in front of the house and
the small pine trees that adorn the space between the
sidewalk and our home.

I don’t trim the bushes all that often. When I do, my bushes
quake with fear. It’s not that I normally do a bad job. It’s
just that – how can I say it – I’m a little aggressive. I
don’t mess around. There’s a buzzing noise, a smell of
burning wood, and it is quickly over.

I trim the pine trees even less. I believe the wife was the
last one to touch these specimens. They involve a little
more effort – after all, they are much bigger than the bushes –
and a bit more artistic talent. They sit in the front of the yard.
Folks that drive by can actually see them.

My trimming didn’t start very smoothly. I hacked and hacked and
discovered one tree had quite a large hole in the front.
There isn’t much you can do. Unlike a Christmas tree, there’s
no way to turn the bare spot towards the corner. Fixing the hole was much
like trying to fix a bad haircut. Cut a little bit here and there and you only make things worse.

My other trees frowned at me and said, “you aren’t going to do
me like that. Are you?”

Thankfully, the other trees were much luckier.
No embarrassing scars will haunt their youth. As for the
ugly duckling, we can only hope that we can keep the
heckling to a minimum. It’ll grow back. We swear.

by | Categories: thoughts |

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