Incoherent Yard Day

Day gotta start somewheres..................


Good morning sunshine



So three hours of sleep outta 24 hours of duty, and one can say they are incoherent. Drive home, settle the trials and tribulations of those whose haven I reside in. Oh, yeah, and it is yard day at the home.

Yard day.

Yard day actually started yesterday, when the problem eldest was home, working off the shmoola given to the GF for needs. Yard day tuned in for a cost. Oh, I guess you can buy love. (take that, Apple Records) - Yard day. It has a whole other connotation in the firehouse. We tend to the grounds of the house. It is part of our job description. All firehouses have a fair amount of grounds to landscape. I loved my old houses yard. Took alot of pride in yard day, and the firehouse showed it. My own home is always a work in progress.

I have plowed, dug, landscaped, planted, burrrowed, heaved, pushed, cut, burnt and maladjusted everything in my yard. Most of the plantings are of some sort of native Hawaiian species. Not all, but I try. Flowers, succulents, fruit trees. Hawaiian Green Rose, Pikakae, White Hibiscus. Naupaka, Red & White Ginger. Took down a 40' old mango tree that caused nothing but rubbish, and mangoes to high to reach without killing myself. Built a mound out of its root, since 30-40 years of mango tree has heavy amounts of roots. Used recycled cut lava wall rock from the firehouses remodel to dry lay a retaining wall. Gathered large stones for other retaining walls to terrace the steeply graded hill in the back of the house.

Purloined (didnt steal) over 600 concrete testers to build more retaining terraces on the same hill. Planted palms to hold water, and soil.

(if you are wondering what a concrete tester is, it is a 10 inch long, 5 inch circumfrence cylinder of concrete used to test a concrete mixes strength - weight for each is 35 lbs.)

It is the grey thing in the machine

So thats about 21,000 lbs of concrete that sits on my hill. That I put in, with the help of my nephew, and brother -in- law, via a rented truck. 21K of concrete. WTF was I thinking?

But I will digress from that bullshit, and focus on new improved bullcrap.

So i get home, and tired as a dog after a bath and a grooming, The Lady decides yard day will enter phase two. Day 2. Hauling the shit to the dump part.

I love having a truck.

(not)

Load up, haul off all assorted cuttings, branches, weeds, small animals (kidding), and various junk, all organic kine. The dump takes the green waste and makes compost (score one for Mom Nature)...But all the junk I have is pack into plastic bags, except for the large branches and shit.

Needless to say, I have to empty all the bags contents into the green waste pile, and but the plastic in the plastics pile. No big deal. On bag number 347, I kinda got sick of it.

I'm sorry, where the hell was I going with this? Oh yeah to get to some point. There us nothing that really feels as good as digging into the earth, be it the soil, or trimming a plant. It seems to be kinda meditative-like, or reversable zen. Reversable Zen? Yeah, you know, where instead of trance-like, you are focus' like. So intent on accomplishing, or completeing the task assigned. I always get ASSigned stuff. Thats for another rant day, perhaps. Earth, plants moving around in what is YOURS, a production from your own heart, feelings, abilities. Maybe thats why a bit of woe creeps up too. Just a manini (little) bit. The forest that was a hiding place for Gecko's, bugs, and birds has been down-sized. The bushiness trimmed, looking all respectable for the night on the town. ( I always say I do clean - up well, so I guess my yard should , too)...

A little grit under the nails, a sweat, and I futted out just around 130. Just came to a halt. Body said - " thats it, we are outta here ". I believe me, I zombied in, laid my dirty ass on the floor, and went into a coma. I didnt eve make it to the bedroom floor. I made it just inside the door. Surprised the cat didnt try to bury me. Woke, went to the shower, and.... voila! Pink Hotel diaries for the next 3 days. Surf more later in the 3 days, we will see.

But the yard is clean, and I am at her pinkness.

Water woulda been nice, tho'.

Aloha.