Back in the Saddle Again!

Spring has finally made an appearance around here. The temperature today was in the 70's, and the sun was shining, for a change. And see what that brought out. All the rain we have been having has made the grass grow like crazy. So today the old guy climbed back into the seat of his trusty zero-turn mower and cut the grass. You might say there's nothing unusual about the first grass-cutting of the season, and you would be right. The unusual thing about this picture is that the old guy is at the helm of the lawnmower for the first time in at least three years. He has been unable to mow the lawn due to various ailments and aches. Doug had to come out every week during mowing season to cut the grass. Now Terry is finally feeling well enough to get back in the saddle. Ironically, in about 3 weeks, we will be closing on a new home that has just a patch of lawn, and that patch will be mown by others. We will have very little outdoor responsibility in our new home, which is what we were trying to accomplish because neither one of us was really up to the task of yard maintenance. And now he feels like cutting grass! Go figure..

The next machine he wants to tackle is his beloved tractor and bush hog. He has decided to reserve a patch of our farm property for wildflowers and tree growth for me, so he will cut it himself, he says. I don't really know why I need a patch of wildflowers and trees since I will not be living here to enjoy them, but he is having more than just a bit of anxiety about leaving this farm, which he loves. He professes to be eager about the new house, and indeed, we visit it every day to check on its progress. I think he knows it is for the best for us to move into a home that we can get old in comfortably and not have to worry about maintaining. However, he is having a hard time letting go of the land. He doesn't much care about the house, but he is adamant that he wants to keep the land. He is perfectly willing for Doug and Kellie to use it as they wish, but he keeps reminding everyone that he still owns it, and it is ours. I feel sure that in a year or two he will find other things to occupy his time and attention, but meanwhile poor Doug and Kellie may have to have him around a little more often. He says he will cut the grass for them. We'll see how long that lasts. While it might be helpful to have a grass-cutting "elf," he might be a pest. This sounds like a good time to interest him in the travel that he promised me when I retired three years ago.

At any rate, our new house is coming along nicely, Terry feels well enough to get out and cut the grass, and it seems that spring is finally here. Alissa and Andy and the boys are enjoying a great Arizona vacation, and I had time to actually sit in the sunshine and read a book today. Life is good...