Daddy and I have this long-running disagreement about whether I need a paying job. Daddy says that I do because now that he is retired, he is too poor to cover my snack habit. Not to mention “other expenses.”
I admit that I eat a lot of snacks. And occasionally, I’ll have an experiment that will go wrong. (I really thought I could rewire the heat pump in a more efficient electrical configuration. My bad. But I don’t think it was necessary for Daddy to build an extra fence around it to make sure I didn’t try again. That’s on him.)
I do have intrinsic value, you see. It can’t be measured in dollars and cents. And I even add value to things. Take, for example, our yard. I’ve put a lot of work into it through the years.
Once, I discovered two sticks protruding from the ground. Very unattractive. So I dug them up. After I chewed the top off of them first. No one told me that they were shrubs that would become beautiful someday. I was a little sad about that. However, I think I’m exonerated through that whole circle of life thing. That’s what I told Daddy, anyway.
The truth is, I love plant life! From the time I was old enough to take walks with Daddy, I have adored leafy green things. Not only are spots like this cool on hot summer days, but cats and other creatures leave little treasures behind. I like to find them and then surprise Daddy. He squeals and tries to get me to drop them. I think it’s a squeal of delight. Momma says it’s more like a shriek.
I also like dead leaves. Momma and Daddy will often gather a big pile of them for me in the yard. Daddy acts mad when I jump in them and says that I’m just messing things up. But you have to understand that Daddy once studied to be a tax lawyer in a world where all of the laws are written in double negatives. It’s a little confusing at first. But if you remember that Daddy means the opposite of what he says, you’ll be just fine. I think that this picture was taken right after Daddy said, “Don’t jump in that pile of leaves!” I can still see the proud expression on his face.
Some of my landscaping projects don’t turn out as well as they might. I decided that this bush needed a little trimming. And then it began talking back to me. I really don’t care for plants with an attitude. One thing led to another and . . .
This is me explaining that to the bush. If you look closely, you can see that he still wasn’t listening to me. Totally unrepentant.
And this is me explaining the incident to Daddy. Apparently, Daddy has documented a lot of things since I’ve lived here in what he calls “incident reports.” This was more of an accident waiting to happen. That bush had quite a mouth on him. When I told Daddy that, he said, “Well, we don’t have to worry about that anymore, do we?”
I like that about Daddy. Always finding the good in every situation.
Yes, sometimes there are unintended consequences. I was truly filled with remorse over the passing of that bush, even if he had it coming.
Over the years, I have, regrettably, trampled down quite a bit of grass in the yard. But to my credit, I have been fully supportive of new sod. I think that this is the bermuda grass that replaced the St. Augustine grass, that replaced the first bermuda grass we had. Or this might have been the Zoysia grass that we have now that replaced that second bermuda grass attempt. I lose track.
I do have crazy skills as an outdoor decorator. I always have a project percolating in my head and look for unusual touches to differentiate our landscaping. For example, I thought that the fireplace log grate in the picture above was pleasantly complementary to the new sod. The rusted iron really makes the new grass pop, don’t you think?
Daddy is sometimes cynical about my exceptional skills in landscaping. But Momma has faith in me. This is a picture of the two of us after I finally got our backyard in shape. Or, this could have been on Maui. Either way. Trust me. Very similar outcomes.
I’m willing to admit that mistakes have been made. Deeds have been done. Words have been exchanged. However, at the end of the day, Daddy often sits with me and takes in the view. And I’m pretty sure that he can see the value I add to everything. And you just can’t put a price tag on that.
We have some gnarly brush that needs trimming. I can provide cat treats.