A Surprise for my Evening Run

   I was out jogging with the dogs tonight, and spotted this little guy in the grass, out of the corner of my eye. I was delighted: a cute lil' snake! But unfortunately, I wasn't real—just a plastic toy. Bummer. I've never seen a snake in my neighborhood.
   Yes, that's right—I actually like snakes. I think they're beautiful, actually. Although I've never seen a poisonous snake in the wild, I've always known generally what they look like and felt I could identify one, so have never been afraid of approaching snakes, not even as a child.
   In fact, there were lots of snakes on my parents' property when I was growing up. I knew just where to find them, on the sunny rocks near the creek. And on nice days I'd always go snake-hunting. When I found one, I would usually catch it and sneak it into the house to scare Mom. Eventually when I earned a little allowance, I spent it on plastic snakes like this one, and little fur mice, and I'd occasionally hide them in places where Mom, unsuspecting, would find them. Like in the drawer of silverware or towels in the kitchen. She'd pull out the drawer and SCREAM... Shortly followed by an exasperated, "JENNIFER!" I'd like to think I helped Mom earn her nerves of steel. Mom, you're welcome.
   I also remember a time when I had caught a decent-sized brown snake, and wouldn't you know it? I had show-and-tell that day. So, without telling Mom (presumably), I put the snake in a pillowcase and twisted the top just like I'd seen the pros do on TV, and I carried the snake on the school bus with me. At first it wasn't a big deal. Then someone found out what I had in the bag and told our bus driver, Mrs. Hess. Mrs. Hess was much like my Mom—not a big fan of snakes, to put it mildly. She SCREAMED and threatened to stop the bus. I promised not to show anyone else and to keep the bag tightly wound so he wouldn't escape. It was a nervous ride to school for everyone involved. I was sure I was in big trouble this time.
   But when I got to school, my 5th grade teacher surprised me by taking an interest in the snake, and she let me put it in an old aquarium for the day. So I got to show him off after all, and he returned home with me that night without incident.
   I decided to keep the toy snake in case Mom comes out for a visit. Just for old time's sake...

Love thy neighbor

   Oh, I do. Here's why: In June 2009, there were a couple of times when I noticed that my back lawn seemed to be growing faster than my front lawn. I would have to mow the back every week at least, while the front could go longer. Huh. Maybe I put more fertilizer in the back yard? Then one day I was working upstairs on the computer & heard what sounded like a lawn mower very close to my house. I peeked out the window, and there was my neighbor Bob, on a ride-on zero-turn-radius mower, going all the way across both his yard & mine!
   After he finished (because he wouldn't have heard me otherwise), I went outside to thank him. And before I could open my mouth he asked if I MINDED if he mowed for me. He said it's just as easy for him to do both yards at once. And he has been mowing my yard once a week—or as needed—ever since!
   I've left gifts & cards for him & Laura occasionally, which they keep telling me isn't necessary. But seriously, not only does he mow, he also does the EDGING, as evidenced in this photo that I took out the kitchen window this morning. The man is my hero. I'm assuming that because he started soon after I broke up with my ex, he wanted to give me a hand. And I am equally surprised & thankful every time he has mowed since.
   What can I learn from this? Don't ever pass up the opportunity to surprise someone & help them out. Don't expect anything in return. And be good to your neighbors.

Question of the day

How difficult is it for a 5'1" person to scale a 6' privacy fence?

In my infinite wisdom, I accidentally locked myself outside in my own backyard while I was mowing the lawn this afternoon. The door into the family room was locked, & I had just put the padlock back on the gate. No cell phone, and it wouldn't matter anyway because all my friends were at work! So I scaled the fence Mission Impossible style & landed on my feet on the other side. I was able to get back into the house through the garage door, then come around from the inside to let the dogs in. It would have been a miserable afternoon hanging out in the backyard, since it's 95 degrees & extremely humid.
That gym membership has paid off!

Weekend inventory.

Lawn: mowed.

Edges: trimmed.

Patio: swept.

Grass: fertilized.

Flowers: planted.

Plants: watered.

Brush: cleared.

Rocks: moved.

Jen: tired.

On this inaugural day of mowing for the season, I picked up my freshly-tuned-up mower from Sears and took care of my shaggy lawn. Got lots of other stuff done too, as the list above indicates. Despite the nice temperatures (mid-70s) the sun was VERY hot. I worked myself to the brink of exhaustion. And I have an awesome sunburn on my arms. But I finally got ALL of the bulbs Mom sent into the ground: Star of Bethlehem, Peruvian lily and calla lily. The lily-of-the-valley & hostas she sent last week are looking good. Last year's hostas are gorgeous. (Aki stopped eating them.) I'd love to have more of those, if more of my yard was shaded! Ok, off to bed for me...

happiness!!!

I got home from work just a little while ago, and heard somebody mowing. And it sounded like it was coming from my yard. Well...it was! My awesome next door neighbor, Bob, surprised me by mowing the lawn for me. For no reason at all other than to be nice!!!

And...now he's out there trimming! I must pinch myself...