summertime and landscaping

like most of us, i love instant gratification.  it's what the nurseries plan on this time of year.  we need to throw off the cold and gray and fill our lives with color.  flowers make this easy.  my porch, which measures 10'x20', is covered wtih pots of new color that make my day.  as i sit at home recovering from back surgery i go nearly nuts because there are so many things i cannot do outside by myself.  hell, i can't do most of it with help.  i find this infuriating as i've always taken care of what i want.  so this weekend my mission was to get the always wonderful husband and the 'very much 16' grandson to cut down a tree.  not a big tree, we are surrounded by 100' oaks, but one that blocks light coming into a small room and is a blight nexxt to the porch.  the husbnd doesn't see any problem with the tree but i want it gone and sooner or later, if i really want something, i'll get it.  i don't badger all at once, it's a slow process until he thinks it's a good idea.  how in the hell did i get so compromising.  and i lured the grandson into thinking it's gonna be fun.  i thought it should be cut down in sections, taking the top part accessible from the porch, which is elevated, first and then finishing it off.  it was pointed out that it was all about the 'thump' and the whole tree needed to come down at once.  since they're both male, i don't know why i would be surprised by this revelation.  so i let them cut it down however they wanted as long as it came down.  the thump wasn't as dramatic they would have like, but who cares, the tree is down and i'm thrilled.  there another tree next the one that came down.  while most of the tree is above the porch cover there is a bunch of little branches that need to come off and one bigger limb will clear them out.  the grandson is all over this one cuz he gets to stand on the porch railing.  i tell him if he falls off i'm gonna be mad cuz his mother will not like it if we let him get hurt on our watch.  he assures me he can handle.  of course, afterall, he is male.  they lop off the branch and voila, it looks fabulous.  in the area that is opened up are very large rhodederans (sp) which are blooming like mad.  so the nasty trees and gone and it makes the porch look much cleaner and open and gets some sunlight at that end so more plants can live down there and we can enjoy the rhodies from the porch.  and the little room does get more light, though not as much as i would like, but better.  we take what we can get.  it's time to get outside and clean up our overgrown bushes and clean things up.  it's like decorating your home, it needs to be someplace you and go and renew.