A few wet, rainy days and you would think Dennis and I will never see a sunny day again to work in the yards. This morning the sun was shining, and though it was 44 degrees, it felt wonderful to breathe in the brisk air as I headed out to join Dennis in the porch for coffee.
It is always a wonder to me that Dennis has connections that make short work of some items of yard work. Dennis had been cruising past his nephew’s work site to see when a Bobcat would be sitting idle in the lot. When the concrete pouring season starts, the equipment could be anywhere within 100 miles in any direction of St. James. By 10:00 this morning, Dennis was in a Bobcat headed for Stauffer Avenue.
Brilliant blooms of the Weigela in years past.
Shrubs are a great addition to residential yards, but they do have a life span all of their own. For several decades the Weigelas have added a brilliant crown of red flowers in the backyard. Beginning last year, there was more bare wood showing than healthy branches just waiting to burst forth with an abundance of leaves followed by the flower buds. What do the older ones on Stauffer Avenue do? Dennis makes a contact and the plan of the day is to pull out the Weigela shrubs. While Dennis was in en route, my end of the bargain was to get the log chain out of the potting shed. There is no way after as much rain as we have had, that the lawn from the edge of Stauffer Avenue to the shrub site would not show the activity of the Bobcat, but it has to be done and grass grows back.
The Bobcat that was available had the heavy metal grid in the front with two lifting bars much like would be used to slide under pallets. Ingress or egress is not easy for my 78-year-old partner in crime. Where the heck were the steps? The plan was for me to manhandle the log chain around the base of the shrub and for Dennis to maneuver the touchy Bobcat controls. Oh yes, the chain was not tight enough on several tries and it slipped over the top of the shrub as Dennis raised the front. Try, try, try again until the first shrub’s roots were released and pulled free. The second shrub went much easier. I freed the log chair from the Bobcat and Dennis was on his way to return the mighty machine. By the time Dennis made the mile trip and returned in his little red pickup, the shrubs were in the burning ring and the holes were filled and raked off. The torn sod from the Bobcat’s impact on very wet soil and soft grass went down easily, and in several days it will look just fine. After Dennis returned the log chain back to its place in the potting shed, he commented that it sure was handy to have it on hand, but it wouldn’t hurt his feelings if it would be the last time we needed to use it.
Taking a break on the back patio seemed like the sensible thing to do. Butter Ball and Snuggles entertained to no end. Silly cats that have wound us right around their paws. Dennis leaned back in the lawn chair and I thought he was resting his eyes. Dennis was looking at the eavestroughs of the porch and the garages. The seeds from the Maple tree had just finished falling. How could they already be viable little trees standing at three to four inches tall?
Three hours later with many breaks in between, the porch and the garage for the Lincoln and the little red pick up have clean eavestroughs. Talk about slimy, smelly muck that needed to be troweled out by the lineal foot. Dennis made more trips up and down the stepladder than I could count. My part was to do away with the pails of mess as he handed it down to me, keep the garden hose positioned for the flushing, and try to find just the right tool to work the necks of the downspouts poked free of stuff that had them plugged up. So the choice is to have no eavestroughs and let the rain wash gullies around the perimeter of the buildings, or get down and dirty once in a while and clean them out. Actually, there was conversation about having a product installed much like a leaf guard.
All in all, I take it back. There is no stopping Dennis and me when it comes to doing whatever is needed to keep the property up to snuff. We both enjoy this place on Stauffer Avenue and take a lot of pride in keeping it “up to snuff.” It is so much easier to do the deeds when we notice the need, rather than letting it go and having a crisis or costly repairs.
The day is coming to an end and we clean up pretty good. Our Sunday morning tradition is already in place: frozen cinnamon rolls put out to thaw overnight. On Sunday morning the baking rolls bring a very inviting aroma that allows us to feel the peace that passes all understanding.
Butter Ball is one really strong cat. I had happened to look out the bathroom window towards the porch patio doors and all I could see was a tail flailing wildly with an occasional pair of paws jutting straight out. By the time I got outside, Butter Ball was hiding under the car and Dennis was wiping blood.
