Loose Leaf Notes

The Boasting Crocus
woke us in spring
The dandelions are next
ready for roaring
Walking back from the mailbox yesterday morning, after spending more time on the computer than I intended to, I had a revelation: The border (in this case a fence) between my neighbor’s property and mine is like the difference between New York’s Niagara Falls and the ones in Canada. (For those of you who haven’t been there, and at least in 1978 when I saw them, there is a distinct difference between the US and the Canadian falls areas. The Canadian side has more flowers, is more landscaped and well kept.)
By looking at the leaves collected on my side of the fence and the lack of them on his side, I have to deduce that my neighbor rakes leaves or uses a leaf blower. I rake leaves too, but only in the spring and only to dig out my flower gardens. Eventually leaves break down on their own.
My neighbor doesn’t seem to have many dandelions in his grass either. Dandelions out in the country, where we’ve never gotten a single trick-or-treater because we’re so far off the road and where I can’t see my neighbors’ houses and they can’t see mine, don’t bother me (unless they start taking over my vegetable garden). I keep thinking about the medicinal properties in the dandelion root, all that iron, although, I haven’t yet found the time to harvest a single one.
I usually tell myself and others that I lose complete control of my vegetable garden somewhere in July and especially if I’ve been gone a week or two on vacation. But the sad truth is I never had control. And I don’t now. There are too many reasons not to mulch or weed; too wet, too dry, too cold, no time. Even so, my garden produces a lot of food and I spend more time on it than I do my (can I use the word lawn here?)…yard.
Right now our riding lawnmower is broken (isn’t it almost always the case?) and my sister Kathy is coming from Massachusetts to visit, which is why I’m particularly tuned into to how nice my neighbor’s property looks, compared to mine. I’m happy for him that his yard looks so nice. I don’t know how he does it. He has 15 acres to mow, I only have 3. I bet he doesn’t have a blog distracting him from his chores. He probably doesn’t even have a computer.
P.S. Happy Mother’s Day to my mother who I know is out working in her garden.