The morning began right off the bat as mild temps and no wind. As I got back from my walk, Dennis was down for a nap. I got into cooler clothes, changed shoes and hit the gardens complete with rakes and a big yellow cat following me from place to place in the yard.
Branches about the size of the width of my thumb were everywhere. I raked them together with the intent that I would pick them up as bundles and get them burned before the rain started. It was cloudy out, but the rain held off and I continued with raking off the flower beds. No sooner would a pile of leaves been raked up than Butter Ball would have to pounce into it to see what he could find. It made the task tolerable.
As I raked and found perennials peeking though the dirt, I couldn’t help but think of Elvera. My sister and I both enjoyed flowers and checking in with each other being 80 miles apart, it was fun to see which one of us had what coming up in the early spring. I couldn’t help wonder what would become of her backyard of flowers this spring. As the spring and summer would continue, our 3 P.M. telephone coffee breaks would invariably include work that we were doing in our yards. Nothing to notify “Home and Gardens” about, but satisfying to us nonetheless. Dennis has always been on hand to help with gardening. Not ever venturing out on his own, but if I had a request, he would always be right there. It seemed like Orville also helped Elvera as he would make sure she had all the wood mulch she needed. I liked the rich black dirt around my plants and Elvera did the mulch. Did she need to keep track of weeds as I had to . . . no.
I would like to be a little garden mouse hiding in Elvera’s flowers to see if Orville’ new girlfriend will help Orville tend the backyard. I know, I know . . . it’s as I said, working with my back and my hands in the backyard there was no shortage of thoughts. Enough of the thoughts that spring from being of the lineage of the “Old Adam.”
Our neighbor, Bob, has a huge fire ring and has been very willing to let us use it. By the time Dennis was up from his nap, the plastic garbage barrels were packed with leaves ready to be burned. The bundled branches hit the fire and our spring work went up in flames. The rain is still holding off. It is just the bestest of the best feelings knowing that now plants can enjoy the spring rain and there will not be any “would have, could have, should have” in regard to getting the backyard cleaned up after the winter.
I could not wait to grab a cup of breakfast coffee and enjoy one of the lawn chairs Dennis had pulled out for the patio. He has been looking forward to sitting out on the patio for a long time. Hmm. Butter Ball was so exhausted he stretched out on the patio not even giving the birds that were almost at eye level in the low Lilacs branches a look. Now that is a weary cat. Come to think of it, my eyelids felt heavy as well. The rain will be welcomed to wash away winter’s grime . . . storms, not so much.
Homes were moved onto lots that had been plotted, ours being one of them. Topography had little attention. Stauffer Avenue, which by city maps, is labeled as an alley; 20 feet wide. It is much wider now as traffic has a way of blowing out the boundaries. Stauffer Avenue continues to be built up year after year by the city. It really needs to have a field cultivator come and work it up and then put down the final finish. I know the extent that it has been built up as in years past during fast spring thaws there would be water making its way in the car garage and the tires would be frozen down. Dennis contacted a local contractor and they raised the garage off of the foundation and added a ten inch cement block to the existing foundation. Problem fixed. Well guess what? Stauffer Avenue is now again level with the garage on the south side and none of the ten inch block is visible. Stauffer Avenue to rising. 