The Storm Before the Calm

Cut my back yard today since the heat wave finally broke and it only went up to ninety. Since I have to jump start my John 'Dear' (as I like to call him) I decided to ride up to the front of our subdivision that the homeowners 'ASS'ociation has obviously not noticed every time they drive away from or to their home.

It took me twenty minutes to pick up the trash that had been discarded out of apparently many many cars driving by our entrance. I seem to pick up more empty Monster cans than beer cans these days...is that a good thing or a bad thing?

The street that goes by our subdivision ought to have an "I- " in front of it. I-Mary Feeman Rd. I think people think the MPH sign says 'minimum speed 45MPH.'

And don't think they slow down or swerve over when they pass me cutting right by the road. Maybe they think I am a fifteen year old teenage boy with a bikini top and shorts on, therefore deserving no special effort on their part.

As for my part I never blow the grass (really high grass today) out into the street and always look behind me for cars. When I see one coming I stop and turn my blade off so I don't throw anything their way and wait til the road is empty before continuing. Hell, I don't even get wolf whistles anymore, unless you count my 85 year old neighbor...he seems quite taken with me! They just roar by me so close that I could adjust their side mirror for them if they'd slow down ...which they never do so I've never had the chance to try. If I stuck my hand out as these cars flew by...I wouldn't HAVE a hand.

It has one part that is a steep slope and I try to get higher and higher up it until I feel like I will tumble over like the guy in the yellow rain coat on the tricycle on "Laugh In." The mower leans one way and my 95 pounds is straining the other way just hoping I can make it to the end of the slope this last time.

You would think that the people that live in the first house on either side of the entrance would at least cut the grass just a bit beyond their property line and help me out...But NOOOO! I think they both had surveyors come out and stake off their property so they didn't dare cut more land than they were paying for. "To hell with the entire neighborhood....I cut MY yard didn't I?" is obviously their thinking or lack of.

I take back home all the trash and throw it away and trudge back up with my second favorite man (John, you know you're the ONE) my beau...the weed eater.

How can anyone LIVE without a weed eater? I'd rather give up my cell phone than my weed eater. My motto about my yard is "Want it real neat...ya GOTTA weed eat."

Now I wasn't even on a riding mower, I had my back to rush hour traffic it seemed and could feel the heat from their car as they buzzed the back of my shorts. I was literally three feet away from some of these cars as they screamed past me doing 65MPH. It is a very relaxing feeling to say the least...the VERY least. I finished one side of the entrance and started weed eating the other when I just had to give up and go home. I had to work at 4PM and wanted to go home and cool down for an hour and get the car exhaust out of my ears.

Went into work feeling pretty tired but knew that with "Weekend of the Dead" upon us... as the fourth of July weekend is known in the restaurant world ...I would be back home soaking in a tub in four hours.

NOT SO! says cruel fate. Went into work and busted my tail from the time I clocked in. When I finally left I felt like my legs weighed a hundred pounds each and left well after closing.

So much for the tub soak! I decided that tonight was the storm before the calm and at least I was there to profit from it. My last tip was a 50% tip and the end to one of the best nights I have had in a while.

Massey sent me several text messages and I knew she was okay, my teenage son felt sorry for me after I left for work and went up to weed eat the other side of the entrance ...EVERYBODY WINS!!

Ya gotta love days like this.

Does that sound pathetic in any way? Probably, but when you get my age...you take what ever you can get!