Spring Cleanup Winds Down

I had a disturbing revelation yesterday as I was cleaning up getting ready for winter. A lot of the stuff I was working on is left over from last years fall clean up and this years spring cleanup. Ugh. No, really, Ugh!

I enjoy looking at an nice neat area as much as the most anal neat-nick ever born--yet I find it hard to make it a priority and I work at a project until cleaning up after myself is beyond my limits of self discipline, then, I pick up what the weather will ruin and the next day start on a new project that seems more pressing than cleaning up yesterdays project. So, just before the snow flies, I can be found trying to clean up outside at least enough to make it possible to snow blow the dooryard safely.

We often give directions to our farm this way: Turn off the North Bend road onto Jellison Ridge, Road drive to the end of the pavement. On your right you'll see a nice, neat farm- drive right past- that's not us- continue on the dirt road until you see a place on your left and you think " Boy, I sure am glad I don't live next to those people. Stop there, you have arrived.

The nice neat farm is owned by "farmer Gary" and admittedly anal fellow who spends the greater part of his summer mowing and weed wacking. In the fall, he puts in his wood neatly and chases leaves off of his property. This time of year he decorates for Christmas, tastefully of course, single white candles in each window, nice wreath with ground lighting on the front door, big wreath on the barn. In the spring, the snow is barely gone and he rakes his entire two acre lawn. Everything is neat. I guarantee you that whatever the American Health association says you should weigh for his height, he weighs that amount. I suspect he had 2.7 children. He will, I am sure, live to be a hundred unless some neighbor runs over him on the way by.

It would be nice to think I will someday morph into a neater farmer as I get more of the building done on the farm. Unfortunately, it is more fun to build than clean so I don't have much hope really. Today, I am headed out to clean up some more. I have to focus on things that will be frozen down since last night was cold. If I don't beat it up out the ground today, it may be there until next springs clean up. Ugh!