I made a confession to Matt this morning: I'm guilty of coveting our neighbors' lawn. It's just so lovely with its lush green grass; fully, leafy trees and season-appropriate decorations. The homeowners, a young couple named Matt and April, live directly across the street from us. I admire their landscaping everytime I look out our front window. Yesterday April was out working in her yard for about 8 hours, laying rich black mulch that accents their home perfectly.
Later this morning a pool and spa company truck was parked in front of their home, so I can only imagine there will be lots of activity going on there in the next few weeks.
In comparison, our lawn looks rather forlorn and brown. With my man's schedule preventing him from spending much time out there this Spring, I have made some attempts to get it nice and green. However, despite my best efforts it seems all I've been able to accomplish is lessons in futility:
1. Never run the sprinklers when there are wind gusts of 46 m.p.h. (I'm learning this lesson right now as I type this.)
2. No matter how many times I remind the kids not to run across the grass, it is just too big of a temptation for them. How easily they forget my request!
3. Begging, pleading, encouraging, watering, praying....none of these will make my annuals emerge from the soil and bloom any quicker. They are some really stubborn flowers! Matt and April must have planted the non-procrastinating ones.
4. Hanging baskets only look nice when there is actually something growing in them. I have 3 dirt-filled baskets waiting to take their place on the hooks outside, but I have nothing to plant in them. Not in the budget this year. Daaaaang.
5. Even though we don't have much, I guess there is always something somebody else wants. Case in point: Our weed-eater was stolen. There has been a rash of garage break-ins in our addition and it appears we fell victim. I shouldn't complain, though, because a few days ago our friends up the street awoke in the morning to discover their Cadillac Escalade propped up on cement blocks, missing all four tires. I'm not kidding.
Alas...though I whine and pout that our lot resembles a pasture, I'm reminded of this fact: it provides a place for the kids to gather with their friends and jump on the trampoline or play Capture the Flag; the driveway is covered in colorful chalk drawings that little hands spent hours making, and the wobbly bench on the front porch is the perfect place to sit and look at the stars on a summer night.
All things considered, our lawn might not be the prettiest on the block, but I suspect it's the happiest.
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