jump on it

  

   Usually our summers are hot, hot and dry. Usually this time of year, I'm dragging the garden hose around trying to keep vegetables and flowers from dying from thirst. Usually. But this is a very unusual summer. One thing's for sure....there's nothing dry about it, not here anyway.

     Once it started raining, it has rained nearly every day. Anything from a brief passing shower to thunderstorms to all day rains. The ground is soaked to the point that it is like a saturated sponge. You walk across it making odd squishy noises as you try to keep from sinking down into the muck. Feeling the water seeping into your shoes and knowing that there is no sense in mopping as you're about to track mud back into the house once again. Water is pooling anywhere and everywhere. Puddles have formed and stayed. Drainage ditches have become creeks and the creeks, rivers and lakes are at capacity and above. My vegetable garden is having a love/ hate relationship with the rain. I'm trying to figure out ways to save the drowning squash while allowing the cucumbers to still get the water they're enjoying.

  My front yard is a mess. Grass only grows in a somewhat narrow ribbon across the yard up near the road. Otherwise my yard is dirt. I was told that the grass wouldn't grow because all of my big Oak trees keep sucking all the nutrients out of the ground leaving none for the grass. Sounds logical to me. Because there is no grass, the dirt keeps washing away every time we get a heavy enough rain.  Here lately we have had our share and a few other people's share of rain. My yard is full of sticks and branches that the storms have brought down.  Right in front of the porch and near the gate the ground is extremely soggy. In the driveway where I park are several mud holes. And we keep getting rain.

 I've said all of that, to say the following. This afternoon after I got off from work, we had sunshine. The real deal sunshine. the kind that heats up the air and sucks the moisture up creating a steam bath. The kind that had been out long enough to begin a drying process. I hoped that it was enough. I didn't know how long I had before the arrival of the next rain but I wasn't taking any chances. I had things that needed to be done outside, it wasn't raining, the sun was actually shining and I wasn't going to let the moment pass. I had a brief window of time and I was going to jump on it.

  I had recently been given some flower bulbs, but I hadn't been able to plant them because of the rain. I grabbed my son and we dragged the tiller out of the building and got it to where I wanted to plant the bulbs. The main problem with this site was that there are Wisteria vines that grow all over that area. James managed to get them wrapped up tightly around the tines of the tiller right away. I went and got the limb trimmer and began cutting the vines away. It took a few minutes but between the two of us we got it all out. For the next little while we teamed up and got the flower bed tilled up. He would run the tiller until we hit a vine, I would cut it loose, cut it away or cut it at times before he got to it. Once he had it tilled he put the tiller away as I got the wheel barrel and hoe. Going to where the bulbs waited I loaded them all into the wheel barrel and carried them up to where James had made their new home. By the time I had them all planted I was sweating heavily and had dirt on both knees of my jeans and up to my elbows on both arms. It  wasn't the best planting I've ever done, but I think I did it as mom suggested, or as close to as I could. I had hurried, not knowing when the next raindrop might fall.

  Once I finished planting the flowers I looked over at the stretch of ground between my fence and the dirt road. Thanks to all of the rain we hadn't been able to mow the grass and the grass and weeds were taking full advantage of that fact. In some places it was terribly high. Looking toward the sky I saw a rogue cloud forming. It looked like I still had a few minutes, I'd better jump on it if I wanted that cut. Hurrying down the driveway I pulled the mower out. Upon checking I saw that it was bone dry empty of gas. Going back into the carport I found the gas can. It was almost full. Filling up the mower I pushed it up the driveway. Searching for a few minutes I finally found the button to prim the mower. Then pulling the rope it started right up. It took a few minutes longer as I was trying to cut the grass not my rose bushes that was tangled up in that mess. Once that was done and the grass I couldn't mow down pulled up and tossed away I figured I might as well take advantage and mow the grass inside as well.

  While mowing Bella decided to get in my flower bed and dig. When I tried to run her out, she thought I was playing. She obviously didn't think so when I went and got the hose and turned on the water. I didn't spray her as she didn't go back near the flower bed while I was working. I finally manged to get the grass cut as best that I could. It hadn't looked high until I cut it. Putting the mower away I looked around the yard. I still need to get all of those sticks up and there is that pile of leaves waiting..hopefully I'll have another window of sunshine tomorrow. If I do...I'll sure jump on it as there is still plenty that needs doing. As for now, I'll be happy with what I managed to get done.