Shallow Thinker

Sometimes my projects don’t go as well as I’d like them to. Sometimes it’s because of bad tools, other times it’s because the right parts aren’t in stock at the home improvement store. Mostly, though, it’s because of me. The really unfortunate downside is that most of my projects involve our house. So every little “oops” I utter makes my wife shake with fear.

My house needs a break. Well, I take that back, I’ve given it more than its fair share of breaks over the past few years. I think that my house would appreciate it much more if I stop “improving” it.

This time, I’ve decided to focus my inability on the yard. The grass has been growing wonderful since we’ve moved in, so I’m going to do my best to mess that up.

Our back yard has plenty of shade, leaves, and mosquitoes. Unfortunately, only one of these makes for a good play area. I’ve decided that I’d like to focus a bit this summer on cleaning out the leaves and brush. The easiest part was raking the leaves…getting rid of them hasn’t gone as well as planned. Apparently the neighbors aren’t buying the idea that I’m giving them free compost piles. Also, instead of growing grass, I’ve cultivated a nice crop of generic weeds. At least they’re green.

So here’s the plan. Butterfly and I went to Lowe’s this evening to get some supplies. First was grass seed. I got a small bag because it’s much easier on the wallet to waste a small bag than a big bag. Next, I got a bag of wildflower seeds. I’m hoping that I can scatter these about along the edges of the fence line and make my fence look wild. The last bag was full of birdseed. I figure I should at least have something alive in the backyard when I’m done.

The only problem left unsolved is the mosquitoes. My current approach of attracting them with my pasty-white skin and then smacking them into oblivion doesn’t seem to be making an impact. Got any other ideas?