Mulch Madness

During the spring of the year is the time I realize I am totally out of shape. After spending the dark months cocooned in relative warmth and comfort, the spring is bringing rebirth.

The problem comes when I decide I can't wait another minute to begin working in the yard - too much to do, not enough time. I am still working on a huge pile of shredded bark in my front yard, moving it from the pile to different areas of my gardens. This pile is now just over a year old because I in no way, shape or form was able to move as much as I wanted to last year.

Why, you may ask? Well - and that's a deep hole in the ground - my plans seem to be bigger than my muscle power. I work mornings and then write all afternoon, so I don't have much spare time, especially during fall and winter when it's dark before 6 o'clock and too cold to work outside. But spring brings us daylight savings time and warmth, so by 5 each afternoon, I'm ready to hit the yard - or rather, the mulch pile.

Ah, but here comes the problems again - after shoveling up and moving 2 wheel barrels full of mulch, my out-of-shape body is screaming, "Please, for God's sake, no more!" I have to stop and rest for at least 15-20 minutes before making another attempt. Attempt number 2 amounts to 2 more wheel barrels of mulch, but the recovery time is twice as long. After 30-45 minutes of rest time, I have to get up and start supper and while supper is cooking, I may get 1 or 2 more wheel barrels moved before calling it a day.

Five wheel barrels a day, 6 if I'm lucky - at the rate I'm going, I may be finished in a year or two. Ah, but here comes another problem - no matter how many wheel barrels I've already moved this spring - and at last count it was 21 and yes, I'm keeping count because I'm anal like that - I am slow to see progress in the gardens, not to mention the size of the mulch pile.

Oh, and did I mention I still have tree limbs to move from the ice storm a few months ago? And dead growth to cut out and remove from the flower beds? And a garden to till up? And, please God, let me make it to April before I have to mow the yard for the first time. And the house needs repairs ...

Too Old to Pull the Plow, Too Young to Die