#52 - Yard Work - Here or There

Living in a suburb outside of Houston means we get to have a lovely yard with all of the tedious maintenance that it entails. My husband takes care of the weekly yard work which means mowing, edging and detailed weeding. Diligent lawn maintenance is part of a responsibility that comes with life in the city, and under the bright Texas sun, this can become a brutal chore.

Adding a tree to our tree-deprived neighborhood. I wanted a
Magnolia, so he's putting one in for me. Actually, it's grown
considerably, but we'll be taking it with us when we move to the forest.

On Saturday morning, you are tired, but you must wake up and get the yard done before the heat cranks up beyond 100 degrees. After all, there are neighborhood association regulations to follow and rigorous lawn maintenance is part of the agreement. And this is acceptable. People cannot live this close to one another unless there is a community agreement for the state of existence or you might find yourself living next to a bamboo forest or the artist next door who uses her front-yard to display the recycled trash as she sees as art, which would mean that you would never be able to  feasibly sell your own home. But, I still have that side to me that despises an association telling us how to live our daily lives around our homes. I guess it's a necessary evil for neighborhoods in places such as the Greater Houston area...and there you go.

After we remove the Magnolia to transplant to our land, I will
have another fast-growing tree planted in its place.
This Magnolia is MINE and it will go where I go.

So, there are vast differences between doing yard work on our acreage and doing yard work in the city. Deputy Dave spends about two hours per week at our house trying to keep things under control. If the grass gets too high, then it is very noticeable because the neighbor's lawns are a true yard-stick for measuring the height of your blades of grass. In Texas, we have to mow about every four days. The St. Augustine grass grows like crazy during the summer. Sometimes it seems too unreal as you nearly watch it grow inch by inch before your eyes.

Deputy Dave taking Shaye on a ride on the lawn tractor
down the city streets, for fun. She was about 2 yrs old.

In contrast to yard work in suburbia...when we are on our land in the midst of The Big Thicket, there is unending "yard" work always needing to be tackled, but we really only need to sit on the lawn tractor for hours to keep the "livable" zones somewhat navigable by foot. There are no areas needing to be weeded so that the neighbor's will be pleased. There are no sidewalks, driveways, walkways and patios to edge. Our land in particular has heavy forested areas that we can simply leave as it is --- untouched. So, even though we have nearly ten acres of land, that doesn't mean that we're breaking our backs trying to manicure every bit of acreage.

Our wooded land - beautiful - lush - diversified and time-less.

About nine years ago, we tried to partially clear about three acres of the thick underbrush, leaving all significant trees in their rightful place, but the voracious appetite of green growth in the area simply consumed the open areas with a vengeance. Unless we are living there full-time, the forest wins.

In suburbia, we are the yard champions. It is a small area that we cultivate and it is practical, yet still demanding. In the country, or rather, in the forest, it is nearly insurmountable, especially since we are trying to maintain the integrity of the forested land that we own.

Soon, we'll be on that lawn tractor every week and the experience of keeping the acreage looking healthy and homey will be pleasant. And any underbrush that is becoming unruly will be introduced to our goats. That's a plan I can't wait to implement. I can hear myself now..."Honey, you don't need the edger and the weedeater, just bring a few goats over and let them do their magic."

Deputy Dave and I several years ago as we're leaving the rodeo
after seeing Martina McBride in concert. Awesome!
We do love the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo!