Sigh…it’s only been three weeks since my husband’s surgery and his restrictions are getting to the both of us. There are times that he needs or wants something that he can’t manage and he calls me and I really want to pretend I didn’t hear him. Then, of course, I feel bad for that and I try even harder to make sure he has the things he needs or wants.

So for this Monday, it’s time for yardwork. I know he’s feeling bad about me doing the yard work but I’ve always enjoyed working in the yard. I’ve always said I’d much rather cut the grass than unload the dishwasher. He was sitting on the patio today while I mowed the grass lamenting that he should be the one out there, not me. I told him jokingly not to worry about it, because once he’s up and around again, my list for things for him to do will be really longgggg.

But, speaking of the backyard. Mine looks awful this year and I hear that from a lot of people. We had a lot of rain in spring and everything looked lush and green. The July rolled around and it seemed like the rain gods just forgot about us here in the St. Louis region. I don’t think we’ve had an appreciable rain in the last month. My lawn is overrun with crab grass even though I sprayed weed and feed at least once this summer. And then there’s the large barren spot. I have to blame my dogs for at least part of that problem little. They like to do their business close to the house, or least our Molly does since she doesn’t get around well at all.

I’ve planted tomatoes every year for quite a few years.  Most of the time, my four or five plants have grown into bushes and  taken over the entire top portion of the garden but this year, the plants are spindly and the fruit has been tiny. I swear some of the small tomatoes look like little red marbles. But they are still tasty little marbles.

My hollyhocks this year also were abysmal. They looked great when they first began to grow but rapidly brown spots began on the leaves and eventually the plant died.

And the same thing happened with my sunflowers. I don’t know whether it was just a lack of rain or something else. I’ve never been really consistent with watering but I can’t help but think there is something else going on.

A bright spot in my ragged-looking yard is my butternut squash plant. While I was watching the plant begin to grow, I was looking forward to carving the pumpkin I hoped I’d get from the vine. Imagine my surprise when I realized I didn’t plant pumpkins, I planted butternut squash!  I tasted butternut squash for the time last year and  I loved it.   I  was so surprised to find out it tastes very much like sweet potatoes!

The only plant that seems to really be doing well is my sweet potato vine. But what’s funny is, I didn’t plant that plant. It just grew up where it was. I don’t know if any of the birdseed I buy would have had the seed or not, but that’s what I suspect. Regardless of how it got there, it is beautiful.