We may pass violets looking for roses.
We may pass contentment looking for victory.
– Bern Williams
The recent rains and warm sunny days have contributed to our lawn growing into a shaggy green carpet these last days. I am an avid supporter of keeping the lawn mowed and looking somewhat groomed.
I must admit to being a little obsessed when it comes to my mowing technique. I tend to do the thing where I mow in a different direction each time I mow. This offers me four directions to choose from. I also like a rotation for those four choices.
My husband, on the other hand, is of the thought process…..just zip it off and you’re good. (This should not surprise me as he has the same idea when it comes to haircuts.) He doesn’t bag the grass or rotate directions. I am grateful he does mow though! We have a large farmyard and have not owned a riding lawn mower for the last 20 years or so.
We decided years ago that instead of a walking exercise program in the summer we would have a “push the lawn mower” exercise program. It is definitely a workout as our push mower is also NOT self-propelled.
The first of the season mowing always seems to take the longest. There are sticks to be picked up, rabbit holes to be checked for baby bunnies, and it takes so much longer avoiding plants that are just beginning to peep through the soil. It could be that my eyes are just getting older and it is harder to see all those things…..it could be that….but then again….it could just be the time of year.
I was so glad to see the little patches of wild violets were starting to bloom. I was also glad to see that they were so short the lawn mower just skimmed over them. They might be a weed in my lawn; but they are so bright and cheerful as they peep up at me as they nestle in their leaves.
It was exciting to see the hostas are beginning to push up through the soil, the peonies have sent up tall burgundy colored shoots and the bleeding heart I planted last year, survived and even has a few blooms on it already!
I started writing this post about our first lawn mowing of this season. As I started wandering around taking pictures today….my focus kind of changed and evolved into more than lawn mowing. Have you ever had that? You start out in one direction and you kind of make this detour……maybe several detours…… all over the place?
I went outside to get those pictures for this post and saw my husband disking up last year’s corn stalks in the bottom field. We have rain in the forecast for the next few days so it is time to get going on things like lawn mowing and field work.
I love the view that we have of the field with the river in the background. I have a feeling I had time to enjoy that more today than my husband did. I am pretty sure he was focusing on his work, while I was focusing on watching him work!
I also noticed that the tree that refuses to die has once again sent out new leaves from some of it’s branches. I used to give my husband grief about how ugly the tree was and how it should be taken down……but I have since changed my opinion.
I have come to the conclusion that any tree that works that hard at keeping somewhat alive should be allowed to fall over in it’s own time. The tree also serves as a roost for owls, hawks, wood ducks, eagles, geese (I have no idea why a goose would sit in a tree … but they do), and it also serves as a home for our squirrels. I guess it earns it’s way, not by how beautiful it is, but by how functional it still is.
There is something to be learned from that tree. Never give up. No matter what you look like…..God can use you. No matter how battered, there is still a beauty if you are willing to see. I have come to appreciate that tree as much as the flowers and plants that come back each spring…..maybe more as the lessons it teaches me are so timeless.
There is a certain harmony, a certain rightness to the tree coming back to life each spring. Just as the violets and grass returning each spring; the tree stands as a witness to faithfulness and new beginnings.
“There is something very special about Spring.
Almost Spiritual.
Not a surprise that Easter coincides with the season……”
George
https://theoffkeyoflife.com/about/
Did you find any baby bunnies? Be like the tree and never give up. I love this. Thanks so much for sharing.
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I found a hole in the yard that I think mama bunny thought she was going to use and never did. I am now on the scout as to where she put them! My husband found some in our grove. It had four baby bunnies in it.
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Nice. We have lots of baby bunnies around and now the 1st baby quail’s have hatched. Love to watch them scurry about after the parents. Nature is such a wonder.
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Lovely pictures 🙂
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Thank you so much! I had to restrain myself from taking pictures of all the stuff that was starting to grow!
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You should 🙂
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Thank you for putting a picture of my favorite tree in your post…I just love this tree! The leaves are just so pretty and resilient!
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I knew you would like the tree! And yes it will fall in it’s own time. We used to debate about cutting off the live stuff and just leaving the rugged old part…..I think that tree will do what it wants…….
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Yes…just let the tree be happy like it is!
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I love this, I need to remember not to give up even with all of the detours. 😊
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I am with you on needing to remember! Probably good I have that big old visual image to remind me.
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I love your tree message and the fact that you didn’t cut that tree down and perhaps never will.
Somehow the tree reminded me of the tree Zacheus sat on and the Lord saw him through the leaves. When you wrote about the tree providing roost for all wildlife, I thought of how a tree such as this must have provided roost and comfort for Zacheus while he watched the Lord, with trepidation until the time the Lord called him down and exalted him. Being short, he must have tried many times to reach Jesus but perhaps never could but I like to think of him as never having given up and so he got the idea of climbing up the tree and parting its leaves to see the Lord.
Thank you for your post, Faye !
Susie
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You have given me a whole new appreciation for our tree Susie! I will always think of Zacheus when I look at it now! That is a really neat perspective!
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Lovely post and photos 🙂 My bleeding heart has flowered beautifully this year…maybe because I left it alone! xx
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I am just so glad the rabbits left it alone! And I was happy to see it made it through our winter.
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Nice post Faye. The first lawn mowing of the year definitely takes extra time. Love seeing the violets every Spring. If I have my camera in hand, my subject area for photographs can change fast. Like the photos from your area. Love that tree you have been threatening to cut down every year. 🙂
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I am done urging my husband to cut down the tree. It is too good of a visual reminder for me and still functions as a wildlife refuge.
I am with you on what happen when I have my camera….everything is fair game to be photographed.
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Not giving up is a good thing to hold on to. A baby bunny is another good thing to hold on to!! Thanks for another thought-provoking post. Xx
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You are so welcome! I love those baby bunnies when small…..when they grow and eat my garden…..not so much LOL.
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Ah, no, well that’s fair enough!
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I love the photos and I’ve always loved the first grass cut of spring and how it smells. After a long winter, it reminds me of hope and so I smile..:)
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Makes me smile too George! I also smile when my husband is out turning up dirt…..it smells good, he loves it and speaks of the crop to come! Yep…it all boils down to hope. See why your comment made the perfect quote? Thank you for that!
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Wonderful!!! Love the tree too!! All the new growth of spring, oh please keep taking photo’s of all the gifts of nature 🙂 Field work for sure, it is huge! It is such a responsible task walking around picking up debris and checking for wildlife before the yardwork begins! Beautiful post Faye!!xx
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Thank you so much Ruthie! There is so much just starting to grow out there. It is so much fun to walk around and just check on which things are starting up!
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That is wonderful!! I enjoy looking for them too! I get all excited when my Jasming bush is full of blooms, it smell heavenly and the bees don’t hinder me for breathing aroma in! Bonus were ladybugs too!! 🙂
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I bet that does smell wonderful! The bees here share the flowers with me as well.
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Thank you for your post and the reflections within it. I love the tree, and i think it is really quite beautiful! It was amazing to be reminded of a time when I realised I had not noticed millions of violets growing because they were short. When I noticed them I thought ‘how ridiculous if they decided they wanted to be daffodils’ it made me realise that we might want to be noticed but we can be beautiful in our own right, even if we are overlooked. It’s a message I need to keep remembering, so thanks for the reminder. Your post was just what I needed to read today
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Thank you so much! I am glad it was a timely reminder for you. I find that when I open my eyes to what God has put around me there is always a lesson in it somewhere that I need to learn or relearn. I love your conclusion about being beautiful exactly as we are, even if overlooked! That is so true. Thank you for that insight!
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Wild violets…one of my most favorite Spring pop-ups. And the tree..there is a story in every scar.
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I love the violets! And yes there is always a story…..and hopefully a hidden blessing in those scars.
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Another lovely visit. I am impressed that you push mow. It is great exercise, but hard work. When I do find a smaller rabbit patch, I want to do the same. Your pictures are so pretty and I can tell I would feel right at home there. I hope you are well-and as always, love your quote.
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We just decided we could take walks for exercise or mow in the summer so we walk while we mow! We usually tag team it to get it done as soon as possible.
It was so much fun taking the pictures. I had a tough time choosing what to take pictures of!
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The boys and I pushed this lawn the first years-it took all day! Even riding takes 3-4 hours. If I do get a smaller yard, I hope to push mow. thank you sweet Faye!
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It takes us a couple days to do our lawn. By the time we are done we kind of start all over.
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oh my! Sounds like us a few years back-I so admire your diligence and what great exercise!! Wow!
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Lovely pictures. And I enjoyed your tree’s lesson. I guess we do have to push forward even though challenged.
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Sometimes hard to do….I should say usually hard to do! But always worth it.
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I agree!
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Love that tree…us the push mower…adore my wild violets. enjoyed your post.
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Thank you so much!
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I wrote another comment that disappeared just as I was finishing it, so this might be a second…love the violets…love the tree and the fact it is a roost for birds. I enjoy the sight of anything that reminds me to never give up.
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I had to chuckle about your comment disappearing….I have had that same thing happen to me!
The tree has really grown on me over the past couple years. I think I would miss it if it actually blew over.
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My family and I have a push-mower, too – and ours isn’t self-propelled, either! It definitely makes for a nice, weekly workout, although most of last summer and this season, as well, I’ve left the whole job to my younger brother (we used to split the yard and the earned money), as he appreciates the extra dollars and I don’t have to suffer from my sensitivity to pollen. Haha!
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I feel your pain on the pollen struggle! My husband and I share the lawn mowing job. I told him we should just get one more mower and we could mow at the same time!
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Haha! That would be awesome. Yes, pollen is definitely a struggle – I get so tired of sneezing every spring!
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We agree on earth management so much it’s amazing! The only thing we did do different is purchase a riding lawn mower (best investment ever) with a wagon! After 6 surgeries in less than 1 year’s time, I had to have all the help I could get – this monster has been a God send! We have about 20 acres so not big enough to work under a corn field. All of our gardens are in and out of the greenhouse and cover about 5 acres – to which we add a few new plots every year. Right now our pasture land is leased out to a bunch of cows (lucky enough to put 1/2 of one of the older ones in our freezer last year – total grass fed beef – YUM!). I also agree on the tree – if it is fighting that hard, it should be allowed to do its thing! Nice posting!!
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At some point a riding lawn mower is in our future…..for now…we push.
Lucky you with 1/2 a beef in your freezer! Nothing better than good beef! Do you find you have to prepare it differently than corn fed?
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