Suburban Pleasures

You know, sometimes, little things can make one irrationally happy. This past weekend certainly wasn’t one of the high points of my year so far, but I did manage to do a decent amount of yard work, including not only mowing the lawn, but aerating both the front and west side yards, and all the trimming and edging. The result — not just because of this weekend’s toil, but all the prep I’ve done over the past year — is that our lawn looks the best it has since we moved in (well, that and the mess of blisters on my hands, but I can live with that). The difference is astonishing; we’ve gone from a lawn consisting primarily of weeds and cheap Kentucky 31 grass to one noticeably fuller, greener, and softer. And this is after losing our front-yard tree last fall (along with most of the grass beneath it). There’s still a lot of work to do (and always will be), but I’m damn proud of having the best-looking lawn on the street (and not having paid someone else to do it).

Not to mention that the daffodil bulbs I planted last fall are all in full bloom.

Is it ridiculous for me to obsess about such flagrantly superficial concerns? Probably. But who cares?

It makes me smile.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled cynicism.