I was sorry to find it raining early this afternoon when all the barbecue festivities were underway in East Park. I’m sure it put a damper on the event since most of that grilling takes place out in the open. When I came back from my open house I didn’t smell it in the air as I normally do during previous events. Perhaps the weather this evening will be more kind to them. I spent most of the remainder of the afternoon opening up homes for people who’ve purchased them and wanting visiting relatives to have a look. It’s always nice to have the opportunity to meet the relatives of the purchasing buyers and get their opinions on what one of their family members is buying. Everyone seemed to give their blessings on the homes and thanked me for helping with their relative’s purchase. It’s always nice to get an unexpected “thank you” from near strangers.
I’ve been noticing all the more this past week the number of dwellings that have tall weeds and volunteer trees growing in and around the foundations of homes and garages in the City. I spoke with one of my customers today how annoying it is to me when seeing such sights. She said, “Sometimes I just want to go up and knock on their door and ask if I can cut them down.” I sadly said, “Yes. Our society as a whole have become far to housebound and sedentary. And yet they wonder why they’ve got health issues manifesting themselves at far too young ages.” Another annoying thing with me is seeing all the fitness centers filled with people attempting to create a body that looks like someone else’s, when they could be outside working in the yards and gardens along with doing some menial community services. I’m sure all of you have seen those black and white photos of farm families. Did you ever think for a moment they maintained their fitness at gyms? Of course not. Both the men and women got their physical builds from working long hours and endless days. Believe it or not, in many families both the husbands and wives shared duties both inside the homes and out, as well as barnyards and fields. Most of the really heavy work was left to the stronger men who could physically handle the bodily stress. Every time I see a younger man mowing his “in town” yard with a riding lawnmower I think, “Now are you that lazy, or are you trying to impress someone?” For years I’ve always believed working out in one’s yard to be a stress reliever. The more involved one gets is when all the more worries vanish.
At one of the homes I re-opened for the soon to be new owners, I spent a little extra time identifying different flowers and shrubs for them. I went on to tell them what I would remove, re-locate, and what I’d do as far as trimming. One of the bushes which the owner must have thought to be an acceptable shrub was none other than a European Buckthorn. When I saw it I said, “This has got to be the first bush you remove from this yard because it is very invasive in our area as well as State.” The buyer then said, “You mean they didn’t know what it was?” I nodded and said, “Some think that if it’s green and growing it’s good.” Oh the stories I could tell of plants I’ve found growing in yards.
