I Got a Present..or Two..or Three!

So, Mother's Day was a couple of weeks ago. I may not be Mother of the Year, but I think I got her gifts by accident! Are you sitting down? Brace yourself...my family gave me a cordless weed whacker and a cordless hedge trimmer!  And their batteries are interchangeable! Go ahead, roll your eyes. You can even do that little groan thing because you think I should have gotten brunch and a new bonnet. (There is another post waiting in the wings about gift giving so I won't get into it right now...) I was thrilled. Not in the "it is a gift so I need to pretend" sort of way because I really wanted something pretty from Jimmy Choo, but in the real and true "this is spectacular and all mine and if you touch it I will bite your hand off " sort of way. Forget the "One Ring", that weed whacker is my precious.

Let me tell you, as soon as that battery was charged, out I went. I weed whacked until my arms wouldn't work. Had the battery not finally drained down, I would have whacked weeds and edged edges until I collapsed. It was SO MUCH FUN! Of course, I started out timidly, afraid to cut too close to the ground. And there was a little "oops" in the front ivy, sort of like when you cut your bangs a little too short on the left side and have to let it grow out, so it is gonna look weird for a week or so, but we're talking ivy so it will grow back pretty quickly. I still haven't tried the hedge trimmer.  Since our hedge is in desperate need of a trim and is a complete monster, Mr. Manly asked that I wait until he can assist/supervise before I tackle it. I had used the old electric trimmer, but this one is fancier and a little scary. Also, I am 5'3" tall, and the hedge is over 9". Evidently, the HOA frowns upon blood splatter on the driveway, and I guess if I "oops" with the trimmer, we could be in for a nasty-gram or a fine or something. Oh, and I would likely bleed out and scar the neighborhood children for life. Whatever.

Between Mother's Day and today, my pine straw got delivered. More on that next post, because it is a bit of a story.. but aren't most things? I can never seem to just say "I'm fine". It has to be "today this thing happened and it was funny except I am telling it badly and you had to be there but you weren't so I guess I am fine despite all that even if you don't get what I am trying to say because I don't speak English so much as gibberish." Anyone else do that?

Today, my newest toy arrived! I got this really genius wheelbarrow/dolly thing. (Thanks, Mom!!)  The small child is so irritated because she says she came up with the idea last year using our dolly and a cardboard box, but her's was more "ride down the hill to my doom" and less "dirt and mulch hauler." Anyway, this one has replaced the cardboard box with something that looks like a kitchen sink, at least in the photo. I haven't put it together, yet, but that is Task #1 for tomorrow morning. I think I scared the UPS man when he delivered it, though. The child had gotten a new Chubby Puppy toy as a reward for "helping" with the pine straw, and it came in the same delivery as my new toy, so naturally I elbowed her out of the way in the race to the curb. UPS driver gave me a weird look. I told him she would be fine and all that really mattered was my wheelbarrow was here. (The UPS guy is new. My FedEx guy knows me well enough now not to be surprised when I almost hug him for bringing my weed whacker or some other random yard whatsit. UPS guy will learn. He seems bright.)

Somehow my wheelbarrow turned into a potential Scout bed. I suspect she had help. 

So, between these lovelies and my fancy tools from Christmas, I am ready to take on any yard. However, as I have been forced to explain on numerous occasions, in this I have no delusions: I have enthusiasm, but maybe not so much in the way of skill. The landscaper I used last year told me that interest was actually more important because you can always learn to do something if you are enthusiastic. I think he may have just said that because I hadn't paid him, yet, but I choose to believe he was being honest. OK, so I have some delusions..but who cares? I do what I want.