Husqvarna frustration, mercy, and peace of mind…

The orange Husqvarna mocks me from the shed, making me feel all at once enraged and pitiful. She sits in pieces refusing to turn over, and I do not know where to start. Lawn out of control, I am determined to at the very least get the front yard done today. Between the weather, the job, and of course the kids, time is always lacking. I have a window of sunny kid free weather. In the back of my shed there sits the old push lawn mower. At one time this red Craftsman ran like a top but now sits faded, self propelled broken long ago, covered in dirt and leaves, and hockey tape gracing the handles in lieu of proper padding. A sight to be seen as I knock away clear evidence that this was definitely home to a family of mice over the winter, top off the gas tank, and start it up. Attempting now to mow the lawn with this 20 year old lawn mower held together with hockey tape and hope. It is not going well, and my frustration with all things yard related continued to increase.

This was my ex-husband’s thing. He enjoyed the yard work, and relished in the pursuit of having one of the best lawns on the street. Me not such a priority, however I will not be the divorcee with the overgrown and tired looking yard. So I do what any other self respecting independent woman would do, I call the ex. I asked for help. As I may have indicated in past posts, I do not relish asking for help. Luckily our relationship remains amicable most days, and he takes mercy on me. In all of 15 minutes he had the battery charged, chock cleaned, engine running, and all the pieces connected appropriately. To the delight of my neighbors, I finally leveled the jungle that had started to form in my front yard. This winter I had large section of fencing topple over, and a giant evergreen go down. It was also a banner year for pine cones and acorns as well. In only a matter of weeks the pool will be open adding to my check list. This yard overwhelms me. It is the main reason I had my house on the market temporarily last summer. I didn’t want to do it all. Winter lulled me into a false sense of security, as outside work consisted of minimal snow removal and remembering to take down the Christmas wreath in a respectable time frame. As my older sister will be quick to point out, I failed at the later. It is tucked away now. Spring has brought with it all sorts of projects, a few I am actually looking forward to.

As I complain about the yard, I cannot imagine not having it. Grateful that I didn’t follow through, and trade the house in for a low maintenance condo or townhouse. Glad for fences that provide a bit of privacy in my suburban space, and excited for the brand new one going in next week. Happy my kids can jump in the pool on a hot summer day, and then tool around on their bikes in a safe neighborhood. Grateful for an ex-husband that still takes pity on an occasional overwhelmed and inept landscaper. Reminders again that it is ok to ask for help. More importantly it is ok to throw money at a problem when time and energy is at a deficit. Truly a small price to pay for peace of mind.