A Lesson Learned

This has been a particularly hot, dry summer which resulted in us spending most of our time at our trailer. When we did make it home to do laundry, or collect mail I didn’t pay too much attention to the back yard or gardens. With a wedding, campout weekends, and lots of guests at the acreage, our permanent residence was not utmost in our minds.
After spending the entire labour day weekend at the trailer we decided it was time to spend some time at the house. I stared in dismay at what was left of my back lawn. Any grass that was there was burnt off to a crispy brown and any green that remained was either weeds or crab grass. My perennial gardens were overgrown and out of control and would require hours of dedicated pruning to to anything resembling their former beauty. With trowel and cultivator in hand, I attacked with a vengeance ,leaving no plant unscathed. I can’t describe the satisfaction I felt when I stood back and looked at what I had accomplished in two days of hard work.
The final test of my fortitude was to deal with the crab grass that now covered over half of my lawn. I have a handy, dandy weed puller that my dear husband purchased for my birthday last year. I set to work and after three hours have made tremendous headway. This is very time consuming, as each  plant must be dug out seperately. The  result was 2 refuse bags full of crab grass to dispose of in our land fill site. My reward for my hard work, besides the satisfaction of having rid my lawn of this ugly plant, was the discovery of some sprigs of purslane in the midst of the grass. I carefully dug them out and transplanted them to an area in my flower bed where they can be contained and harvested when I want.
The next step is to purchase some grass seed to replenish the many bare spots. With the predicted rain and some warm temperatures, I should see some sprouts within a week or two. I am not regretting our time spent at our summer place, but will make a mental note to at least ‘look’ at the yard when we are home for a day or two next summer!

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