finally ... the end of this topic

some people (mostly men) will tell you that they love yard work because at the end of the day they look at what they've done with a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. they may not say that exactly, simply because men who use the word "fulfillment" are rare. or they're dr. phil. come to think of it, actually being dr. phil is rare, too.

i, on the other hand, am not a man. thank god. i don't think i could deal with the social pressures. throughout my last two years, which conveniently happen to also be my only two years, of home ownership, yard work has been my bane. much to my own chagrin, i've mowed and mowed and mowed, never really improving the look of the place. apparently half-hearted dedication doesn't quite make the grade and i'm sure the neighbors never fully appreciated the resemblance my yard bore to a wheat field. i thought it was charming, but i have no intention of asking them what they thought.

then it happened. i pulled into my driveway late wednesday nite, and the weed next to the mailbox that was nearly as tall as me was gone. used to seeing it every day, i wondered if i was in the right place. not only that, but i also had no problem spotting the driveway because the grass growing in it was gone. well, maybe not entirely gone ... that's a job for another day ... but gone enough that i could see gravel.

and the backyard? the random grove of sumac trees was gone. 'nuff said.

a couple weeks ago my dad asked mike if he knew how to mow a lawn and mike said, "i know how to hire a lawn service."

did i know how to hire a lawn service? well, no. but my neighbor did. i don't typically have the propensity to ask for help, but i do have an impressive knack for looking pathetic, so it all evens out.
lewis stopped by yesterday to collect a check. he'll be back every two weeks until it's too cold for grass to grow. he likes my yard because it doesn't have a lot of obstacles and it's bigger than what you usually see in suburbia.

talk about a sense of accomplishment. sure, it took a long and painful time, but now i can read on the porch whenever i want knowing the neighbors are outside, too. i may finally fit in.

lewis and i are going to get along just fine.