Forget Kindergarten...

All I need to know I learned in the yard. Well... almost.

My yard, or should I call it a jungle, is out of control. Weeds have taken over everything, bushes are unwieldy, and don't even get me started on the trees. It's unbearable. And yet, for months I have chosen to ignore it.

I've made excuses. I've made a few temporary, cosmetic alterations to distract from the overall chaos. I've even placed blame on others (I did have one landscaper that didn't come to do his job but that was just recently).

I bet you're wondering what the yard ever did to me that I would ignore it so horribly. Well, it turns out I've been using the yard as a road block. If I don't get the yard under control than I can't put the house on the market. If the house doesn't sell then I don't have to move on. If the house doesn't sell I don't have to take Kate from the only home she'll share with her dad. If the house doesn't sell, I don't have to leave the house I built and the walls that have my blood, sweat and tears in the paint. If the house doesn't sell, then I can still remember what Scott's voice sounded like in every room. Again, if the house doesn't sell, I don't have to move on.

I let the yard be a crutch. I let it hold me back.

So I decided today to get dirty. Slather on the sunscreen for Junior Miss and I and out we went. Somewhere in all the weed pulling, hedge trimming and mulch spreading, I started thinking.


I stood staring at a poor little bush that is barely surviving and I wondered what to do with it. Should I just, dig it up and throw it away? Never really giving it a fighting chance. Or should I give it a little love and see what I can make happen?
I pulled the weeds from that bush, I trimmed all the dead away and I gave it a big healthy drink of water with some super delicious fertilizer stuff mixed in. I'm not going to abandon something without being really sure that I've done everything I can to help it. It doesn't need my strong arms to rip it from it's home, it needs my love, attention and patience. I'm going to feel better when that little bush grows up big and strong. I'm going to know that it's because I didn't take the easy route.


After shocking the little bush back to life, I went back to pulling weeds. Anyone from these parts knows what Creeping Charlie is. For those of you not around these parts (or smart enough to not live in a place where weeds are the only living thing for miles) Creeping Charlie is the most awful weed in existence. It's got this root system that connects all the surface (visible) weeds to each other. With Creeping Charley you cannot just simply pull the weed you must dig deep, and remove the root system feeding the weed. Just pull what you can see and you're guaranteed to have more weeds in a day. You've got to dig out all the bad before you can really rid yourself of the weed.

The south side of my house gets constant sun (well except at night...duh). The weeds thrive there, loving the sun drenched conditions. All of the gorgeous yellow flowering bushes on the south side of the house are completely starved out. They have shared all the water, sun, and nutrients with the pesky weeds. Those little bastards slowly eat away at your core. Robbing you of what you need to survive. And not allowing you to reach your fullest potential.


Let's not even discuss the bags full of last years weeds that I pulled out today. Old, nasty, dead, garbage that has just been hanging around blanketing the soil from really getting what it needs.


All this crap, clutter, junk, getting in the way. You can't possibly focus on what's really important. You can't possibly get to the root of the problem. You've got to keep up with the yard, not allowing things to get so barren and devastated.
As you can see from these pictures I still have a lot to do. There are many more weeds that need to be ripped from earth but I got a really healthy start today. I've been depriving myself of some basic needs for quite a while. It's time to get back to basics and start working on what really matters.


Now, if you'll excuse me, there is a really hot, really long shower waiting for me.