I put that headline to warn anybody who does not like bellyaching posts. I thought “bellyaching” was a more descriptive word than “whining,” but the pedant in me feels it is the wrong word since, for once, my belly is not aching. I pause as I ponder the discrepancy to pour myself another cup of coffee, which may solve the whole problem. Hey, I can hope.
It is mid-afternoon on a Tuesday, and once again I have not done much blog-worthy activity. I could perhaps have made a Lawn Order Post, as I spent some time wrestling with my deck and back yard. Not a lot of time. In my defense, I am old and suffering a mysterious complaint which renders sustained movement painful (I did mention this was to be a bellyaching post) (once again, the pain is not in my belly).
I suddenly bestirred myself to get up and go out into the back yard and take a couple of pictures. Here is my rhododendron, just beginning to bloom. It is now blocked by a new tree I perhaps should have cut down when it was still small. However, there are other trees in my yard I may want to have taken down, so perhaps I should let this one live. I do like shade.
I guess I mentioned that my mower is at Collis Tru-Value Hardware being worked on (just to plug a local business). I thought it behooved me to do the best I could with the non-power mower. I figured I could at least get the weeds and grass mushed down a little.
This meets my cousin Mary’s criteria of “looks better than it did.” A little at a time, I will get the whole thing looking better, and when the power mower is back I hope to get it looking very nice indeed. Then I will take more pictures and maybe even invite people over.
On the way back to the house, I took a picture of some forget-me-nots. It didn’t turn out so well, but I will have plenty of opportunity for more pictures. Before I went inside, the dog next door on their back porch barked at me. She often does. If a ball has fallen into our shared driveway, sometimes I throw it for her to chase while I beat a hasty retreat. I did so this time. Alas that my throw was not very strong, and she returned before I had gotten far. A young woman came out of the house while I prepared to throw the ball again.
“I always feel so bad, because she just wants to play,” I said. “So I throw the ball, then try to escape.”
I heard her call the dog Luna as she brought her back into the house. Now I know the dog’s name. It’s always good to be on a first-name basis with the neighbor’s dog.
By the way, the coffee did help the headache.



