When Irish arms are aching...

Today's workout: yardwork.

Texas lawns are unlike any I've ever seen. When I moved into this place, my front yard was half dead and fully covered in some kind of thorn grass. I've been picking thorns out of socks, shoes, carpet, bedding, etc. for the past 8 months. Over the summer I tried to cover the dead parts with grass seed so that actual grass, rather than thorns, would grow, but I got nothing. Apparently summer in Texas, when temperatures easily hit 115 degrees, is not the best time to plant grass. Who knew?

Then it rained for a week or so straight, and ever since, my yard has been a ginormous clover patch. Whatever happened to the grass seed I don't know, but my lawn first got overtaken by some random bok choy-looking weeds, and then the clover moved in and the grass hasn't been seen since. For awhile I decided I didn't have weeds, I was decorating for St. Patrick's Day...very early...but after another solid week of rain, even I couldn't stand to look at my front yard anymore. And I've heard the back yard, while indeed containing grass, now resembles the jungles of the Amazon.

So today I got the lawnmower out and went over the yard with it. Repeatedly. From all directions. And then had to get out the weedwhacker and go over the whole thing AGAIN, because clover and bok choy don't respond to a reel mower the way one might hope. After a good hour and a half outside, I was covered in wet lawn clippings (the top of the grass was dry, but the bottom hadn't seen the sun in weeks), had one leg entangled in the extension cord, felt like I'd just run a marathon...and had a lawn that looked like perhaps it should be mowed sometime soon.

But at least that's an improvement over the Clover Fields of Ireland. For awhile I was hoping I might find a leprachaun in there, but since the reel mower was such slow going, I'm sure any around had plenty of time to get away...

Going to rest and refuel before the second part of my workout: slashing my way through the Forsaken Land of Back Yard. I estimate today's calorie burning at somewhere approaching two thousand.

And no, I'm not Irish...but after the Battle of Clover I get to take some liberties!