A Story about a Garden Boy

My Mom normally takes care my tiny backyard for me, as a way for some exercise. In the last few months, she has driven less and less herself, so she didn’t come to the house often now as there is no direct bus stop between her place and mine.

After a couple months, even in the midst of winter time, my backyard is a bit overgrown. I needed some trimming done. And that is when our first discussion on “yard work” begun between Tom and me. I kind of pull a surprise on him…hehe…

His argument is “If I want to be a gardener, I wouldn’t have gotten a degree.” My argument is “I think we both need some exercise, may as well be productive while getting some sun and sweat!” And then I said, “You know you are going to help once I started because you wouldn’t want to see your wife working by herself out there, would you???” Oh, I so can pull a guilt trip…

After I started laundry, I start to pull the dead lavender bushes out, trimmed down one of the big rosemary bushes. Hmmm, then Tom came out, and asked me what do I want him to do? It works!!!

I let him trimmed the other rosemary bush. Within a minute, it’s done. Now it is a square block, while the one I did is a round shape. I started laughing out loud. And he said it is a sculpture. Ok, now we had to cut my round one into the square block too to match it!

Once he had the scissors trimmer in hand, I think he started to enjoy it. He proceeded to trim down the other green bushes. Of course, that is until I realized he was cutting the flowering buds off the bushes. They are not blooming yet, but certainly sticking out. So my dear husband was trying to be helpful to straight them out. Oh Lord! I think in a few weeks, we would see a line of flower blooming bushes, plus a line of very straight, nothing happening bushes….

Let’s say it this way, it was fun, but I think next time there has to be some very specific directions… We certainly spent more time laughing and debating about this job than actual physical requirement…. it took less than an hour for the actual trimming and pulling out a dead tree. It does help a lot when you have some muscle around.