Kicking and Screaming...

  When a woman leaves her fathers house and unites with a man, does she become all that HE is?

  Last week we received a lot of rain.  Not nearly enough, but quite a bit none the less.  One day alone, the forecast called for 60% of rain, and it did just that; all in one day.  While living on an acre of land, a lot of rain = jungle property.  My sweety and I began our Sunday morning getting the property ready for a much needed cut, grass cut that is. 

Our property ~ the front from the entrance gate in Jan 2012

  Because a single horse lived on the property {with the old tenants} the property was in very bad shape.  There was hardly any grass at all.  When we moved in and the weather began to warm up, it took watering the lawn all day long, moving the sprinkler hourly, to really soak the yard before the grass even started to sprout.  With the water restrictions now, I count on my single Tuesday every week; to give the grass all it needs. 

Our property ~ front yard from the patio slab Jan 2012

  The rain we had last week, plus the weeks of watering I was doing; drove the grass into overdrive.  With rain in the future, we had only one single day to pound out all the yard work we could do.  Man did we have our work cut out for us.  You have to remember, I come from the land of concrete.  Highways.  Interstates.  Buildings.  City life.  I haven't had to walk behind a push mower in a very long time; like high school days long time ago.   

  When I graduated high school and married, we lived in Tarpon Springs.  Apartment life.  City life.  No grass to mow.  No trees to trim.  No property to keep up.  No house repairs to do.  It was wonderful.  I stayed at home with our first child and worked part time in the family rental business.  Tarpon Rental and Sales.  I would fill out rental contracts for customers, deliver rental items such as tables, chairs, portal cribs to such places as Innisbrook.  Where other people tend to yards and landscape.  When our paths took us in different directions, and the divorce was finaI kept to the city living.  Living in apartments allowed me the time needed to focus on my children.  Spend time with family, and filled everything in my soul.  It has always been a perfect fit for me.  

Our property ~ part of the back yard Jan 2012

  When I was younger and living in my mother and step fathers house, every weekend was spent working in the yard.  There was grass to cut, edging to do, and porches to clean.  When I  say cleaning porches, I mean we would bleach the concrete slab and scrub it with a push broom.  Not only was the slab cleaned, but the siding on the house needed to be scrubbed as well.  Animals.. there were 2 big pigs, a male and a female; and their babies to tend too.  There was a red bull, and horses to take care of, rabbits and chickens to feed and collect the eggs.  It was non stop.  Not to say, all this on a single acre of property.  We didn't hang out with our friends.  There was no walking the local mall.  No spending the night at friends houses.  No summers away with family, unless we went to Kentucky {my step fathers family} and worked the tobacco fields.  Weekends for us, and summers too, were filled with chores.  5 children, my brothers and sisters, tended to animals and fixed/rebuilt  buildings.  I began to hate every minute of it, as did my brothers and sisters.  I vowed to not follow in the same footsteps with my children.  And I didn't.  While my children were young, and if we lived on property, I would pay someone to tend to the yard.  I wasn't going to have my children grow up working the land.   I wanted them to spend time with friends, hang out at the malls and, just have a fun childhood.

Our property ~ the back yard in Jan 2012

  Not only did they enjoy being a kid, but I loved getting to know their friends {and their parents}, plus being apart of my children's childhood.  It was a stress I did not miss. 

  While my sweety and I were working on our property Sunday, all the past memories flooded my mind.  The endless weekends working in the yard as a kid.  The repairing and fixing the 5 of us had to do.  The tree trimming and edging the landscape.  A rush of stressed memories flooded me like a ton of falling bricks.  Have I become the person I vowed not to be?  Was I taking ten steps backward?  What happened to the steps I took forward?

  From about 10am, and I believe it was even earlier than 10, we headed outside and began working.  We moved all the wood off the parking slab, from where I screened in the extended back porch.  We filled in the holes Thorn made to keep cool. My sweety trimmed back the limbs that hung too low, and I began cutting the grass.   We each trimmed the grass around the trees and plants in the yard. 

  We worked very hard.  The sun was bright and it was so hot.  By the time we were finishing the yard, I had my fill of yard work.  Tall buildings and concrete was sounding better and better.  I longed for my apartment.  Relaxing after work.  Enjoying a movie with popcorn.  Visiting with my children and grand children.  I longed for carefree stress free weekends.  Two full days of nothing to do but, enjoy life.  I longed for the memories my sweety and I have yet to build.  I wanted to spend our weekends sight seeing, picking up sea shells at the beach, fishing off the pier somewhere, walking the streets of Ybor City.  I wanted anything but spending every day and every weekend working in the yard or fixing our rental place.  I had enough.

Our property ~ from the entrance gate June 2012

  One of the reasons I love taking pictures, is to capture the moment.  A big benefit of that, is seeing your hard work come together.  This picture is of freshly cut green grass.  I may complain a lot, well a whole lot, about doing yard work but I have to admit; seeing the results is rewarding.  That doesnt mean I enjoy it.  Not even close.

Our property ~ from the patio   June 2012

  When I looked at the January photos and compared them to the June photos, I clearly saw  just how much  our hard work had paid off.  The grass is starting to reach the patio slab.  I am very excited about that.  Nah, still don't like doing any kind of yard work.

Our property ~ part of the back yard June 2012

  Even with all the progress and physical work, I would move into an apartment in a heartbeat.  Mostly because I know, we will be doing the same amount of hard physical work next week.  And the week after that. 
  
Isn't it funny how women will walk away from the life they love; to be with the love of their lives?  Why is that?  Can't men adapt to a woman's lifestyle?  Just a thought.

Our property ~ the rest of the back yard June 2012

Our property ~ some of what is still left to burn June 2012

  I know me, and I may not be happy with where I have chosen for us to live, because after all I did pick the property; but I will finish what I started.  Kicking and screaming as the yard work gets done.