When the yard fights back

For about three months after spring has sprung for real, giver or take a few days, I love puttering out in the yard. The tulip crop was especially pleasing this year, and my lilac tree seems to finally be trying to bud.

But the grubs, the moss, the weeds and the damn bugs that seems devoted to them were killing me today! I'm starting to think it's my own yard that's causing my eye issues. I finally visited the doctor I should have in the first place: Rob Diegel at Urban Optiks.

Going there is like walking into a friend's house. (He's in Broad Ripple; and yes, I usually bike there.) A really smart friend who won't take your bullshit. He forgave me for going to see four other doctors first and being so naive as to think a $17 prescription would fix my eyes.  They're now on nearly $200 steroids -- which is what I get for ignoring the issue so long. But hey, think of the strength my sarcastic looks and eye rolls will have soon...

Anyway, if you're in Indy, he's the guy to see. To see. (I crack myself up sometimes.)

Confident I have super powers to fight any allergies or weirdness out in nature, I spent some time in the back yard this morning and the front this afternoon.

My neighbor, Jason, wandered by to ask if I was planting new or just addressing my dandelion-overrun flower bed. I do want to plant some more, but today I was just waging battle with the plants and creepy-crawly or fly-y pests.

I complained that my yard -- compared to his and most of our other neighbors -- was full of a lot stuff not commonly thought of as appropriate lawn wear. "At least it's green," he offered.

I like Jason a lot. I'd like him a lot more if he brought his fertilizer-weed killer magic across the street. I considered spray dandelion killer but I don't really like injecting poison into the groundwater, or the four-footed neighbors.

I did dig out some patches of the more invasive moss and weed patches. Some of the weeds were like crop circles except they were smallish, symmetrical squares that appeared out of nowhere. There are now two square plots of bare earth. It's early in the season: plenty of time to get to Lowes and tackle more projects out there. For now, I've wreaked havoc on the grubs, dandelions and assorted weeds. The flying creatures finally forced me inside. But I have plans for them...

Sunday has been a lawn day for me. Ali has her friend Asher over and Jeff has played basketball and watched baseball. Not a bad day, all in all.  Jeff and I watched the SNL Prince tribute last night and marveled -- like the rest of the world -- at the talent and intrigue in that man. Such a loss.

Yesterday Ali and I got to have brunch with Aunt Lois, which was wonderful. Watch out Cindy: we're planning to make this a monthly thing when you're back in town.  For dinner, we walked over to Indy Tacos and had a great meal and fun time. I know our house is small and we could trade up.

But I love our neighborhood where the neighbors forgive you for dandelion infestations and are up for a block party as soon as we can get it organized. We can walk to the library, the grocery, the vegetable stand and a ton of great places to eat or hang out.

Plus, I have unfinished business with that yard of mine.