May 26, 2024

Yard Work

We woke up hungry on Sunday morning, so we fed the dogs, had a cup of coffee, and then changed clothes before heading into Wilson for breakfast. We enjoyed our meal, but we felt bad for our server who had shared a piece of her life with us. She only slept two hours the night before because she had ended a two-year relationship after discovering her partner was cheating. Our breakfast was free with reward points we had accumulated, so we left the server a nice tip. Breakups were always messy, even when necessary.

After we ate, we made a trip to Lowe’s where we bought a plethora of outdoor products, including fertilizer, ant killer, and grass seed. My wife also bought a new faucet for her bathroom sink since a plumber was coming next week to replace it.

When we arrived home, my wife sent me to my office to write while she bathed the dogs. Even though bathing and drying four dogs was backbreaking work, she insisted on doing it. She missed the dogs while living apart during rotations, and this weekend, she worked hard to get the house and household situated.

After bathing and drying the dogs, my wife was red-faced, hot from all the work she’d done. I knew she was thirsty and hungry, so I threw her in the truck and whisked her off to Panera for lunch. Well, I didn’t actually throw her.

When we were in line to get our food, an elderly man caught our attention as he walked out of the restaurant. He was well dressed and moving slowly. It was painfully obvious, however, that he had defecated in his pants. We felt bad for the man. He was having a bad day. I imagined that nobody enjoyed having this type of accident, and even less so when out in public. 

We parked under a shade tree and ate our lunch together while listening to music. It was fun seeing my wife feed her hunger. She was in an obvious state of enjoyment. I was happy she was home and that we were experiencing life together. Between our server this morning and the man we saw today, I remembered that life was not always easy. Today was a calm day for us, and I felt appreciative.

When we arrived home, I changed clothes and sprayed down in bug repellent. My wife and I hauled a spreader full of bug poison, a leaf blower, and a rake to walk the trails. It was tick season, and last year, we found that placing bug poison on the trails helped reduce our likelihood of finding ticks on us after our walks. 

While I loved being in the woods during winter, the biting bugs like mosquitoes, horseflies, and ticks made spring and summer less pleasant. Over the past few weeks, I had found two ticks attached to me. There was one small one between my toes and one on my lower abdomen. About two days after I removed them, my body had a reaction that included severe itching and swelling for over a week.

The temperature in the woods felt steamy. The humid air was so thick that it was difficult to breathe. Step by step, my wife cleared the trail clean with the blower while I walked behind with the spreader. It wasn’t long before the work had us covered in sweat. When we arrived at the central part of the property, I went to the house to get more poison. I came back with our cart carrying another bag, along with sheers and a pruner. 

We finished dusting the trails and then returned to the creek area where small trees were overgrowing the path. We cut back all the vegetation so we could walk through the area without brushing up against the trees and plants, a sure way to meet ticks.

While we were walking through the forest, we saw a lone doe ambling quietly away from us. She didn’t bark or bolt, but moved slowly, staying nearby. I witnessed this same behavior from a deer last year. The doe likely had a fawn bedded down nearby and didn’t want to leave it.

When we finished working on the trails, we were beat. I felt completely drained from the physical labor, heat, and humidity. I drug the cart with all our tools back up the hill toward the house, stopping a few times to catch my breath. We needed to hydrate and cool off. Even though we felt miserable, we were happy to clean the trails and deter the biting bugs.

When we got back to the house, I drank some cold water and lied down on the living room floor under the ceiling fan. The wooden floors were cool and helped pull the heat out of my body. After I rehydrated and cooled off, I went back outside to do more work.

I grabbed the riding mower from the barn and spent the next few hours mowing the tall grass in the pasture. We had received so much rain that the grass was growing wildly. Every time it was just about dry enough to mow, it would rain again. While I mowed the pasture, my wife repainted the shutters on one of the backyard sheds.

After we were done, we both cooled off indoors, munching on snacks my wife had purchased, including trail mix, pretzels, and honey roasted peanuts. Naturally, we both cracked open cold IPAs, put on some music, and celebrated our conquest over the long grass and insects. Once the sun started moving toward the western horizon, we moved outdoors, enjoying the cooling temperature.

I had my binoculars with me, and as we talked, I looked into the trees for birds. A large hawk flew over our backyard, and I watched it with remarkable clarity. We had several hawks living in the area and heard their calls daily. When it was time to feed the dogs, we went back inside the house. 

At last light, my wife helped me haul a fifty-pound bag of deer corn to the pine grove where we replenished the feeding area. We also placed corn in the pasture where the deer had been hanging out lately. While we were putting down the corn, my wife spotted a lone deer watching us from across a field.

Once we were done, I walked my wife out to the pasture to show her two mimosa trees I discovered while mowing. The two trees were in full bloom and had dozens of my wife’s favorite flowers. She was so happy to see them. While walking back to the house, we searched for ant piles, sprinkling ant killer on them from a bag my wife toted.

It was a busy day full of hard work and satisfaction. We both showered and got ready for some much needed sleep. I was happy I survived the entire day without any new bug bites.