AuburnChick's Adventures

June 11, 2010

Dear Diary,

I don’t know what happened, but over the last three years, my owners have seen fit to let me go.

Oh sure, I realize I am out of that baby stage, but was it really fair to expect me to have to take care of myself?

Once upon a time, I was lush and green.  I was the envy of those who drove past.

Great care was taken of my back side too…

Now, I hang my head in shame as walkers cross the street to avoid looking me in the eye.

I feel so exposed with my roots laid bare for all to see.

Woe is me.

---

June 18, 2010

Dear Diary,

Glory, hallelujah!  My owners seem to have taken pity on me.

Well, the truth is, they were shamed into doing something about me.

You see, one afternoon, AuburnChick was doing her thing, which doesn’t seem to be a whole lot other than job hunting and watching World Cup, when her doorbell rang.

Some guy in a lawn care uniform was standing there scratching his head.

Because they stood outside, I was able to overhear the conversation…

“Ma’am, do you mind me asking what happened here?” he asked while waving his hand over me.

“Yeah, well, for starters, let’s blame the economy.  I’ve been looking for a job for almost two years, and, well, subbing doesn’t pay a whole lot, so I’ve had to let some things go.”

“Well, Ma’am, it’s really a shame.  See, I’m from TruGreen, and I’m out here doing quality control…”

[I know AuburnChick well, and she braced herself for a sales pitch.]

“…and it’s obvious to me that your yard is experiencing severe drought stress.”

Yes, yes.  You get her, I thought to myself.

“Yeah, I’m really ashamed, but it was already on its way out, so I figured why spend money on watering when there’s really no point.  After I find a job, I am going to start all over and put sod down.”

“Well, Ma’am, I think you can still save your grass, without having to sod.”

[I know AuburnChick well, and when she smells savings, she starts circling like a hungry wolf.]

“Oh really?”

They proceeded to talk lawn medicine while I prayed.

The next day, the heavens opened up, and water came down like manna from heaven.

And it came down and came down.

I remember the man telling AuburnChick that she would have to water each zone for 45-60 minutes.  I know she gasped when she pictured the water bill, but her mind was on the bottom line…saving hundreds by not having to resod me.

Wouldn’t you know it, but my thirst got quenched every other day that week.

In the meantime, a nice young man came and gave me treats…food to make me grow.

Lord have mercy, but I was a happy yard!

Look at the difference in just a week…

There’s green in there!

Hope reigns alive!

---

July 5, 2010

Dear Diary,

Things are really looking up around here.

First of all, my owner, AuburnChick, has been thanking the good Lord for His provision of bountiful rain.  She only watered one day in the last two weeks, and that was by mistake because her new droid phone weather app said it wasn’t going to rain, but it did.

Not only has it been raining, but AuburnChick actually got herself off of the couch and edged and mowed!

My back side was in sore need of a trim…

She got a good little blister on her hand thanks to the two hours of work it required to clean me up…

I laughed because she got what she deserved…having delayed taking care of me for so long.

For a few minutes, I even sported a mohawk…

She worked and worked, clearing out the vines that had crept up the poor little pine tree that resides within my domain.

She even got out the ladder and cut off the vines that had encroached from the back neighbor’s yard.  She collected quite a pile, let me tell you…

She smiled the satisfied smile of a cat that has just beaten her prey.  See, that pile on the left?  Well, it’s her’s.  The one on the right is the neighbor’s.

Ever the competitive one, that’s for sure.

She kept on smiling until she spotted something on the bottom of her shoe.

Dog poop.

She thought she’d been smelling something foul while she worked.

She didn’t realized she’d stepped in it, unnoticed, while out working.

Serves her right for ignoring me for so long.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: lawn maintenance, trugreen, yard work |