“There is a guy coming this morning to fertilize the yard.”
This was simply a heads-up kind of comment to me and much appreciated. Living with my daughter and son-in-law I have learned that there is always a lot going on around here. Often someone will either deliver something or show up during the weekday to do something for us.
Michelle decided that she wanted to fertilize the grass using a noncommercial fertilizer. She researched and found a company that would deliver and apply the same. She also wanted to add clover to the front and back lawns. She explained that clover is better than grass for both people and for the land. Just imagine – introduce clover! I was surprised.
It has been several years now since that took place. We now have a pretty green lawn with mixed clover and grass. I never realized clover could be so great. First, it stays green longer, does not need the usual frequent grass cutting, is comfortable to walk on, and is really attractive. This is a big change in perspective for me. I have memories as a homeowner of trying to get rid of the clover that was sneaking into our lawn years ago. Of course, there are people who still think clover is terrible. But the fact is we now know that it is better for all of us, bugs, critters, and people.
The maintenance of having a lawn is that every Spring you typically begin to remove the dandelions before they go to seed. But wait – not too soon. I learned from her that it is best to let the bees have their fill as there are many garden flowers not in bloom yet. This helps the bees get a good start. Good bee maintenance for our planet.
Then when it’s time, you get out there and begin to remove them. A tool called “Grampa’s Weeder” arrived via Amazon. Michelle used it standing up which kind of looked like she was doing a pogo stick dance in the front yard. She was having fun and working at the same time. Soon another “stick” arrived. Now she could have a friend over and they could “dance” together.
Around this time for dinner one night, she was preparing a pan of stir-fried dandelion greens in light oil. Not having ever tried this vegetable I was a little hesitant. However, they were delicious. These particular dandelions were organic and from the market not our yard. But she said, “Just think about it. We are destroying dandelion greens that are actually edible. I don’t think she was suggesting we harvest dandelions from our yard but I again changed my perspective. Since then I have enjoyed eating many different kinds of greens that I would never have thought of before. Radish greens anyone?
