Be Careful What You Wish For!

One of the less appealing aspects of summer here is that, in order to be good neighbors, we have to be vigilant about mowing our lawn.

Good Guy is a "let's get Astroturf" kind of guy, and our objective was to eliminate grass somehow. We are too lazy to make that work, and last summer we hired a kid to cut the grass. He did a fine job too, when we could find him.

But this year, our kind neighbor started cutting our grass at the same time he did his own. I told him I'd gladly hire his daughter to do it, to which he replied, "You'd be better off with me." Well, you don't have to hit me with a brick. I wrote a check, brought it to him, and said, when you need more, let me know." He mows, edges the sidewalks, runs the weed whacker. He's worth his weight in gold!

But, while we were plotting how to eliminate grass, I kept thinking, "If I'd only started planting raspberry bushes when we moved here, we'd be eating berries all year long." (A gross overstatement, but a happy thought.)

Then I noticed that we were getting volunteer raspberry brush along the long side of the deck. That's cool. I bought a tame bush this spring and added it to the wild stuff. Not only is it thriving on the side, it is coming up through the small spaces in the decking! We will be able to reach out from the kitchen table and grab a handful of berries----in due time. Perhaps you can spot the leaves coming up through the decking.

There are some invasive species that I just love!