Yard Work is an Exercise in Problem Solving

 

Early Spring Mow and Grow

Yard work is back. We’ve had an unusually warm Winter so far. That doesn’t mean we didn’t get any cold weather though. January was the typical windy, blustery month it’s always been. The coldest run I did this year was also the coldest I’ve ever done, 8 degrees. Before that I might have run in the low 20s. Never less than that. We all assumed the cold days would stretch well into the spring. But after a few warm afternoons in February and a handful of mild days, it’s looking like an early Spring.

Of course, that also means early lawn mowing and early yard work.

I fired up the mower today and pushed it over a smattering of clover and other various weeds. I spent more time pulling weeds and cleaning up leaves from last fall. It’s always easiest after a heavy rainfall. Friday was our rain day. Saturday was a lot like Sunday weather wise, but I was too sore after my run to tackle yard work. The reason it’s so much easier after a rainfall, the soft ground makes digging effortless. Weeds pull up with ease, shovels sink a lot deeper into the earth. I planted some daisies that won’t come up again till next year. They’ve been sitting in a bucket waiting for me to get on it for at least a month. Today was the day I guess, no more excuses. I tend to do these little projects all together instead of spreading them out.

There is something relaxing and cathartic about doing yard work. I’m not sure if it started out this way, but at some point I started to look forward to mowing the yard. There might be a husbandry element to it. I've explored this before. 

Not that it never feels like a chore, but the feeling I get from a freshly cut lawn overwhelms the labor of it. There are different theories on what’s behind that feeling. It might be the sense of accomplishment that comes from looking out over the landscape. You can get that accomplishment from other places though. If you’ve ever done a work project that everyone raved about. Even putting together a display that your boss really liked, can do that. I’ve developed a knack for displaying bags and shoes while working retail over the years. Setting up product is just problem solving in disguise.

Problem, what’s the best way to show the new stuff to the customers? Solution, decorate as close to the front door as possible. They'll notice the colors and the arrangement. They'll ask "how much? or how many?" The “feel good” part of it is from the creative energy you expend.   

Yard work might not be a creative endeavor, but it does allow the mind to wander a bit.

During my weed puling phase I listened to Riley Gaines, the female swimmer who tied with a man pretending to be a woman. She was on Joe Rogan recently describing her evolution from athlete to advocate. There were a few details I didn’t know about the championship meet. Like, the organizers had to be seen giving the trophy to the man, Leah Thomas. Gaines was told this by a shamefaced NCAA official. I hope we all look back on this time in history and shake our collective heads at the total failure of leadership. How disgraceful.

 I was proud of her talking about the Second Coming of Christ. She also referred to Satan as a deceiver. These types of conversations are getting more popular on Rogan’s show. At first, his guests would just mention the Bible or how an experience with “God” changed their life. Now people are openly preaching Christ. I always wonder what Joe thinks about all that. He definitely tries to soften it by offering alternative viewpoints or using humor to deaden the potency of the Word. But he’s letting people have their say and it’s quite refreshing.

I can’t listen to conversation podcasts while I mow. The engine is too loud. I lose all the detail from the back and forth in their words. I put on music instead. Today it was an instrumental saxophone track that I usually fall asleep to. I didn’t have the time to search out a different station. I didn’t care either. The sun was warm and I was finally back in my yard doing something that felt creative if not relaxing. Yard work is a straightforward problem I can solve, and I really like doing it.