Humor for a Tuesday Morning

DIY Lawn Care

The excitement level of this post is on par with watching grass grow.

Literally.

Through the years, we (and by "we", I mean me) have varied from treating our yard ourselves to having a lawn service perform the honors. By "treating our yard", I mean fertilize with crabgrass preventer in early spring (now), fertilizer with weed control in late spring, and fertilize again in the fall for a final feeding.

I've come to the conclusion that it's far better to do this yourself. I can do it exactly at the best time without waiting (and with the exact amount). It takes about 15 minutes per application.

On the other hand, lawn services today insist on 7-8 treatments, usually do it at the wrong time (because I'm not they're only customer), and bill me incorrectly. To me, it only takes one call to a billing person to spoil any feeling of convenience offered by an external service.

On top of that, some kid usually visits periodically insisting the world will end if a special $100 treatment is not applied immediately to correct some chemical imbalance or halt an attack by a new bug loosened upon American lawns by Malaysian shipping interests (or some such story).

This chore now falls solidly in the category of "I'd rather do it myself". Maybe it traces back to the farming roots of the family. Maybe I'm a control freak. Or frugal.

With that said, application #1 was administered this week. Crabgrass starts to germinate when temperatures achieve 50 degrees, and I hate crabgrass - it even sounds distasteful. Pictures of the front and back yard - post treatment - are shown.

Look closely, and you will not see crabgrass.

Michael is always suggesting ideas for a family motto. I suggest: "At least we have nice lawns". In Latin.

Spring Chickens

When I was growing up, all of the family birthdays, with one exception, were in the second half of the year. The exception being my brother, who always seemed to disrupt my parent's timing.

When I married Kim, her birthday in early January required followup shopping trips just after Christmas shopping. But the rest of her family fit the "late birthday" pattern.

Now it's all different ...

Three sons were all delivered in February/March. Four grandbabies came in January, March, April, and July. The daughters-in-law tend toward the Spring.

Which is all to say ...

Happy Birthday, Amber!

The Economy as a Shield

There seems to be a powerful correlation between economic strength and national safety.

During the Depression of the 30s, America was seen as disabled by the global community, and Nazism and fascism expanded unchecked. It was our factories which fueled the strength we exhibited in WWII. Later, the Iran hostage crisis plagued us during a troubled economy in the late 70's. The Berlin Wall came down in the 80s and we enjoyed peace simply because the world was keenly aware of our overpowering economy.

Peace and prosperity go hand-in-hand. Individual liberty is enhanced by free market principles which level the playing field and defy the buildup of a class-based society.

Which is why we should be intently focused on building the private economy and avoiding any complicity in fattening the public sector. Our safety may depend on it.

Happy Birthday Mike!

Mike was in town to attend a wedding. It happened to be the day after his birthday. We ALL love a party! So....

Delicious turtle icecream cake.

Grandma Callaway, cousin Matt, and a man giving our pizza the eye!

And the rest of the gang!

Happy 30th Mike!

Hike Report

Last weekend, we completed a hike in preparation for longer ones to come. If the idea was to endure hardships to make future walks easier or to build appreciation for a warm homestead, we were totally successful.

Although only 45 minutes north of home, there was a lot more snow on the trail than expected, it was colder, and a dampness in the air was ever-present. Once anything got wet, it stayed that way!

Still, there were interesting things to see, and the woods are always strangely serene when under snow.

Someone should write a poem about that.

Recalling the 70s

[Happy Birthday to son Michael, who barely missed the 70s.]

The 70s, to borrow from Dickens, was the best of times and the worst of times.

It was a low point for the country ... The Vietnam War was a lost cause by this time, Watergate was a three-ring circus, inflation and interest rates were sky high, the Iran hostage crisis was demoralizing, and President Carter officially declared we were suffering from malaise. The guy may have been right, but he didn't need to verbalize it!

If you doubt the darkness of the 70s, consider this: the Cardinal baseball team was 0 for 10 in the decade, though they were in three World Series in the 60's and would be in three more in the 80'. I think the term "bummer" was coined in the 60's, but it truly fit the 70's.

However ...

... on a personal note, it was entirely different.

More good things happened in the 70s than in any decade of my life. I obtained my drivers' license, graduated from high school, successfully navigated through college, raised my commitment level to God, dated and married a cutie named Kim, started a family, acquired my first business suit, landed a good job, bought my first new car, and generally kept moving forward. Most of my basketball career occurred in this decade. The music was good, and my taste in CDs still runs back to the 70s.

So Dickens was right. You can often experience great times in the face of unfavorable circumstances.