Story A Day #24 Yard Work

Janice stepped outside into the postage stamp sized yard at the back of her condo.  She took a deep breath and the scent of the lilacs next door filled her nostrils with delight.  It was a beautiful late spring day and she was looking forward to tidying up her little garden.  Sitting on her park bench, she considered what to do first.   The bird feeders needed cleaning so she decided to tackle that first. 

As she worked on cleaning out the old seeds she noticed there were birds lined up along the fence waiting for the feeder to return.  They were peeping and chirping at her to hurry up.  Well, that’s what she chose to believe.  Janice liked to think that she had a connection with all creatures and truly believed they communicated with her on a regular basis.  She quickly washed the feeder and set it in the sun to dry before adding the new seeds.  

Next, she tackled the dandelions.   They had been left to flower because the bees told her the dandelions were the first food they could find after the long winter.   But now they had gone to seed and there were other flowers blooming so she didn’t feel bad digging them up.  Janice loved popping up weeds with her special tool.   She happily dug down into the earth and found the base of the root.  It made a satisfying snap as the root left the earth and dandelion popped out of the ground, leaving a nice clean patch of grass in its place.  Wonderful! 

There was a worm lying on the grass and Janice picked it up thinking she might put it on the fence for the birds.  But the worm wanted her to put it in the earth so it could grow fatter and be an even better morsel for the birds.  Janice loved the way nature was so connected and each creature benefited the earth and each other in their own way.   She wished she could be a creature too.  All of her life she had been deeply ashamed of being a member of a species that was so grossly disrespectful of their planet.  Placing the worm in the flower bed, Janice continued her weeding. 

An hour later she had finished the weeding, trimmed the bushes, and replaced the bird feeders.   The birds had been grateful for the nice clean feeder and for the delicious birdseed that Janice had provided on their recommendation.   An abundance of sunflower seeds mixed in with other tasty seeds was always popular with the diverse bird population.

Sweaty and hot she sat on the bench again to catch her breath.   She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the back yard.   The birds chirping happily at the feeder, the squirrels scurrying around, chasing each other up and down the trees.  In the distance, she could hear an alarmed squirrel calling out a warning.  Janice loved her little oases. It rejuvenated her spirit and allowed her to forget, for a while, that she lived in a noisy bustling city.  The sounds of her neighbours felt far away and disconnected from her.  

She was having a conversation with a squirrel who had appeared on the fence above her when she heard them.   The landscapers!  How she hated the landscapers with their loud and smelly equipment.  Even though she knew they were necessary, she resented their intrusion on her peace and quiet.   And there were so many of them! 

First would come the man on the riding lawn mower, moving faster than could possibly be safe.  He barreled along the common areas spewing grass and leaves and sticks all over the place.   After he left, exhaust fumes hung in the air, masking the sweet smell of the fresh-cut grass.  

Riding Mower was followed by Power Mower who came and cut the individual yards that were too small for the riding mower.   Power Mower was quick and efficient but he wasn’t any quieter than Riding Mower.  Janice noticed the birds and squirrels had scurried off and she longed to scurry with them.  She went inside before Power Mower man came to her yard. 

Pouring herself a glass of ice-cold lemonade she sat in her easy chair and looked out at her yard.   Power Mower was there and then gone in a flash.   Then came Weed Whacker. Weed Whacker, with his gas-powered machine, was also quick and gone in no time.  Her yard looked neat and well-groomed and she was grudgingly grateful for their care. 

And then came Leaf Blower.  Janice loathed Leaf Blower with every fibre of her being.   Just hearing him coming set her heart racing and her blood pressure rising.  Of all the ridiculous tools that men used, this one was the worst.   Noisier than any of the others and much smellier it was a completely unnecessary piece of equipment.   Janice called them Penis Compensators.   She was disgusted at the way men swung them around at waist level, blowing dirt and grass and leaves everywhere.   All the pine cones at the bottom of the trees, food for the birds and squirrels, were blown into a pile by these terrible machines.   She heard the insects screaming as their homes were being destroyed and it was all she could do not to run outside, grab the offending tool and beat the man over the head with it.   She had even seen a man with TWO leaf blowers going at once.   Many times she had seen as many as three men all blowing the same pile of debris around and around the ground.  It was ridiculous.  Would it kill them to use a rake?  

As she watched Leaf Blower doing his damage, she thought back to her childhood and the Saturday mornings she had her dad would work together on the yard.  It had been so peaceful back then.  Her father loved to use the push mower and would not hear of getting a power mower like the neighbours had.   He couldn’t stand the noise and why pay good money for that when the push mower did a great job.   Janice’s job was to rake up the grass clippings and pick up any other branches and leaves that had fallen in the yard.  They worked together in companionable silence, each of them enjoying being outdoors and working in nature.   A tear slid down Janice’s cheek.   She missed him so much!

Finally, the landscapers were finished and all was quiet.  Janice grabbed the bag of shelled peanuts she kept for her squirrels and went back outside.  Everything looked fresh and the air was sweet again with all the fragrances of the summer.    She sat on her bench and opened the bag and waited.   Before long she had two visitors eager for a treat.   Holding a peanut in her hand she waited and sure enough one of the squirrels came and took the peanut from her.   He knew she was one of them in a human body and he trusted her. 

Janice spent the rest of the day in her garden, listening and talking to the birds and squirrels.   All was right in her world and she was happy once again.