Yard Work!

I can't believe how time flies and that it's already spring! I'm inclined to agree with my mother who says that time passes faster the older you get and says that she gets up in the morning and turns around twice and it's time for bed and as my friend Kathy says, "fast time!" So time has past quickly since I was diagnosed with breast cancer and a lot of has happened and there's been a lot of waiting to see or hear results. Not knowing is in my opinion, always worse than knowing the whole truth regardless of what the truth reveals.

Now that it's spring and I know that I have BC and I've had my lumpectomy, had a port placed and two chemo treatments down and feel good I have to remind myself sometimes that I have cancer. I guess that's a good thing because thank God for the nausea medication and that I've just been doing extremely well. Chemo isn't what it used to be. Thirty some odd years ago when my sister-in-law, Jeanie, had chemo she was sick in bed for days. Her daughter, my niece, Tina, on the other hand, was on the go constantly with her two young sons, that was almost six years ago. Who knows what the treatment will be like in another six years, or we can continue to pray for a cure and then no treatment would be necessary.

Okay so what's all that got to do with yard work? Nothing except that Jeanie couldn't have done any yard work a week after her chemo treatments and Tina had enough energy to keep up with two young sons. I don't have children, but I do have a house with a huge yard, a dog and a full time job. Looking out at my back yard when I found out I had BC I thought, oh crap, it's going to be spring and then summer and am I going to have enough energy or feel like mowing my yard?

See last fall after I became a single woman again, I was also left without a lawnmower. It was still summer and the grass don't stop growing because a relationship ends, so I went to Home Depot and bought me a brand spanking new lawnmower. It made me feel very independent because I could get on that thing and mow when I wanted and so mow I did! Even in the middle of winter when there was a nice sunny day, I'd get myself out there on my mower, crank that baby up and just ride it around the yard. My neighbors probably thought I was nuts, "look at that stupid woman out there!" but I just wanted to make sure it cranked since I had left gasoline in it and hadn't winterized it and those dang wild onions seem to grow all year round.

As the weather has been warming up and spring has been approaching, I've noticed those wild onions out there just keep on growing and I've been itching to get out there on my mower. Since Monday was a beautiful afternoon I did just that after work. I put cotton in my ears, a hat on my head,and a mask over my mouth and nose. That's something I'm getting used to doing since the immune system does get weak with chemo. I managed to get my entire yard, front and back mowed. I felt such a sense of accomplishment because I knew that I would be able at least to mow my yard this season.

Of course though, I'm looking around at the leaves piled up in the flowerbeds, all down the fence line and around the house and think oh lord, I gotta get that stuff outta there too. Lord please keep me healthy enough to do this dang yard work, cos somebody's gotta do it and since I'm the only human living in this house I reckon it's gonna have to be me. Well I'm happy to report that the good Lord does answer prayers and today I worked for two and half hours outside after work, raking and burning leaves. I'm not finished with all of it yet, but I've at least made a dent and I know that I will at least be able to enjoy being outside and working in my yard to make it look better.

Now my next task to try is starting my leaf blower and weed eater. I'm gonna need some pulling power for sure. As always I am thankful that for the strength each day to get up and go do my full time job, keep up my household duties, (I'm not a neat nick, but I don't wanna become a slob either) and a with the yard work season coming on fast and strong, I need some extra PMA and a lot of stamina to get everything done. It's a lot of work keeping up with everything when you're well, but I just know I'll manage and the reason I know that is because I come from good stock!

My mother continues to work in her yard, she has an electric chain saw and cuts and drags limbs and bless her heart she is the queen of PMA! She's been my role model always and so when I start feeling sorry for myself because I have so much to do, I look at her life. She's fixed almost everything in her house, torn out walls, she wears me out sometimes just talking about what she's done that day.

As you can see, the women in our family are survivors and I don't intend to break the cycle. I do intend to keep getting on that lawnmower, doing my yard work, housework, take care of Charlie, my dog, take care of myself and go to work everyday. When my eyes open the first thing in the morning, now I say, thank you Lord for this day, bring it on and that includes yard work! LOL