random thoughts – Day 2,360 (Monday) – green and golden

Two weeks had passed since the last time I mowed and the yard was shaggy. It needed to be done. I meant to mow on Sunday and then I forgot, so it had to happen today. The back yard is small, quick, and straightforward. The extension cord is long enough to get the furthest corners of the rectangular space done efficiently and without incident.

Goldenrod!

The goldenrod out back along the edge of the woods is getting tall and has been flowering for a couple weeks. It has been left deliberately for the pollinators. I read something recently that said the first autumn frost can be expected about six weeks after the goldenrod begins to bloom. That seems awfully soon, but is also helpful information for the planting instructions of "before the first frost."

The other day, many bees were making the rounds of the goldenrod and I watched them from the windows. Today, I got to see them up close up during the yardwork. One little buzzer was covered in a sweater of golden pollen.

The larger front yard is different story. The mower power cord (75-feet) is just long enough to reach most of the yard, but the tiniest tug or extra tall blade of grass causes the plug to edge itself out of the outlet the fraction of an inch that will shut the mower off. The mowing process requires a lot of flinging of the cord to get it out of the way of the next pass and I often think that rodeo school and rope work would come in handy. In general, much swearing occurs in the front yard stretch of the project.

Preserving the little flowers.

Lately, random little clusters of weeds with tiny white or yellow flowers have been springing up and I have been mowing around them. My general lawn rule is, if it’s green or has some sort of flower, it can stay. Once I figure out a way to minimize the front lawn and maximize the area with flowers and shrubs, the transformation will begin. Lawns are so silly. So much effort for an expanse of green that is encouraged to grow and then cut down when it does what we want it to do. At least I get some walking in with the mowing.