Ah, springtime.
No, this isn’t another one of my tornado posts. Let me start over.
Ah, springtime.
The days are getting longer, the flowers are blooming, the rains are falling. And falling. Torrentially. With lightning and wind. And the constant threat of a tornado.
Darn it, this isn’t a tornado post.
It’s a grass post.
I really do love this time of the year, all things considered. One of the biggest challenges, though, is the way the rain takes the side of the grass and not me. It causes it to grow, but the wet conditions make it hard to cut. We can’t cut it, and it grows. The more it grows, the harder it is to cut.
Seriously, it’s the middle of June before we’re able to just go out and cut the whole yard. To make things worse, my wife and I aren’t yard fanatics. We don’t use chemicals, so our yard is a combination of grasses and, ahem, naturalized plants. (No such thing as a weed.) We like it, but the combination of plants sometimes make it look as if our yard is even more out of control than it is.
Sigh.
Oh well, June is right around the corner.
Yet There is Method 
Tim, I live in central NC and as of the first day of March, we entered “severe weather season.” Tornadoes are a threat here as well; we have required drills at school (although not this year, all things considered). One day last week the threat of tornadoes caused us to have an asynchronous remote learning day vs. on-campus. As for grass… I so associate it with childhood memories of my father mowing the lawn. The fragrance of cut grass evokes him like nothing else… and catapults me back to those days in an instant. Here’s to this lovely time of year and your being able to mow before June-! Good heavens!
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Fran, I’m pretty sure we were out that day last week as well. We drill on a regular basis, and everyone takes it seriously (for obvious reasons).
I do enjoy cutting the grass, and the smell is a big part of the pleasure. It’s a time where I’m outside with nothing but fresh air and my thoughts. My wife and I both enjoy the task. I’m hoping for an earlier “full cut” this year as well!
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Your humorous talking to the audience craft move makes this a fun slice to read!
I liked your phrase: the rain takes the side of the grass and not me and that it’s not weeds but natualized plants. We are growing LOTS of naturalized plants in our front yard, too!!
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Thanks, Sally! They are beautiful, if misunderstood, those plants are. {smile}
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Thanks for making me smile. This is a great Slice! I never get an opportunity to cut the grass more than once a month through the summer months – the deer eat most of the new growth. I have my own natural lawn mowers.
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Thanks, Orval! I imagine those deer cut back on your gardening opportunities as well. 🙂
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I hope you know how your humor really engages the reader, Tim! It is a talent you have! We can get a great deal of rain here in the spring as well and sometimes our grass does get quite long. You make a good point that the longer the grass, the harder it is to cut, not to mention the speed with which it grows if it’s been both warm and wet. We also are not lawn obsessed, so ours is a mix of grasses – and some of those are “natural” as you put it. I hope the rain stops for you for a while. But, it sounds like you are somewhat used to this cycle of rain and waiting to cut. Again, thanks for the humor in your piece!
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Thanks, Carol! Rain is a part of life here, except in the hottest months of the summer–then it can be quite dry.
I’m glad you enjoy the humor. 🙂
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I love the way you started us out here. Ah….springtime. With ALL that entails. Your voice comes through so strongly here. I can picture you at the window, virtually watching the grass grow before your eyes, knowing the conditions aren’t right for cutting yet. Or…yet. Or…YET. Hopefully the solace is in knowing you’re not the only one in your neighborhood with the knee-high stuff!
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Lainie, you’re not far off the mark with the idea that we can watch our grass grow–it’s almost that fast. Unfortunately, we have “the yard” in our neighborhood that drains the worst (it’s just the way the subdivision was graded; we love our house, but had we realized the situation, we wouldn’t have bought it). As a result, we are often times the house with the longest grass. Fortunately, the front yard is better than the back!
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Well, I’m glad you finally were able to get your post started after the first two distractions! My husband and I decided that we were tired of cutting the grass so installed some synthetic grass. I don’t think it’s as pretty as real grass, but it’s VERY low maintenance. The only thing I miss is the yummy smell. I mow my mom’s yard to get that, so I’m not missing out!
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My wife had family member who lived in the southwest. They had gravel painted green. Low maintenance, but–as you said–not much of a fragrance! I’m glad you get your fix at your mom’s house. 🙂
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