After spending last Sunday working in the yard, under the warm sun, I can attest whoever originated the quote “Joy of Gardening” is clearly exaggerating. She probably never spent a beautiful day pulling out weeds and shaking off excess dirt stuck to the roots, while being careful not to get bark dust or bugs all over your arms and legs. Nor she squatted and waddled from one dandelion seed head to the next, carefully cutting each one off to make sure none of the seeds get loose into the lawn spawning even more dandelions. (The whole dandelion chore was my husband’s ingenious idea. It wasn’t until I was half way through the field of dandelions in the backyard that he remembered he had this vacuum-like yard tool where you can just suck the seeds into a bag instead.)
Some folks are probably reading this and shaking their heads in disagreement, “Gardening is not yard work.” Well, I beg to differ.
I believe the word “gardening” is just a positive way, a more polite one, of saying “yard work.” Gardening is the act of tending the yard, flower beds, and/or veggie gardens so they look pretty, and perhaps, to prevent your nosey neighbors from complaining about your out-of-control yard bringing the down property values in the area. Whether you’re “gardening” or doing “yard work,” it requires much time, attention, and yes, work.
You may be wondering, "If you dread yard work so, why did you end up buying a property surrounded by so much grass, both in the front and in the back of the house?" Well, when we were looking for a house, we wanted a nice-size yard where my step-dog, Maggie, can run around, play, and do her “thing.” (Yes, it’s my step-dog, because my husband had her before we dated, and now that we’re married, she became my step-dog. Makes sense, yes?) And I think too, deep down inside, I was hoping Maggie would just crap all over, killing both grass and weeds. Positive thinking, yes, I know. However, Maggie is with my mom-in-law in Portland, and we have a yard full of weeds (and not the good kind.)
The appreciation of working with my hands in the yard is something I thought I would gain as I got older. I guess, at 31, I’m not old enough yet.
Some folks are probably reading this and shaking their heads in disagreement, “Gardening is not yard work.” Well, I beg to differ.
I believe the word “gardening” is just a positive way, a more polite one, of saying “yard work.” Gardening is the act of tending the yard, flower beds, and/or veggie gardens so they look pretty, and perhaps, to prevent your nosey neighbors from complaining about your out-of-control yard bringing the down property values in the area. Whether you’re “gardening” or doing “yard work,” it requires much time, attention, and yes, work.
You may be wondering, "If you dread yard work so, why did you end up buying a property surrounded by so much grass, both in the front and in the back of the house?" Well, when we were looking for a house, we wanted a nice-size yard where my step-dog, Maggie, can run around, play, and do her “thing.” (Yes, it’s my step-dog, because my husband had her before we dated, and now that we’re married, she became my step-dog. Makes sense, yes?) And I think too, deep down inside, I was hoping Maggie would just crap all over, killing both grass and weeds. Positive thinking, yes, I know. However, Maggie is with my mom-in-law in Portland, and we have a yard full of weeds (and not the good kind.)
The appreciation of working with my hands in the yard is something I thought I would gain as I got older. I guess, at 31, I’m not old enough yet.
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