Light at the End of the Tunnel

Bougainvillea with wildlife.

Wednesday morning I looked out over the yard and noted where Darío had finished mowing after almost 8 hours work the day before.  There was still quite an area to go.  It dawned on me then that this was the first time that Darío had left such a large area unfinished; in the past, he's been able to mow the whole yard or close to it.

Some day I should take a video of Daréio with his beloved (our) lawn mower.  He zips along with a fierce look on his face as he scans the ground searching for hidden rocks or other obstacles that might damage the blade.  He moves.  He works.

So what I was seeing was, in part, the result of 6 months of back-achingly hard work, both on his part and mine, of clearing out rocks, filling in holes and leveling ground.  It's showing up in the fact that he can mow a much larger area (the reason behind all the work) and I get much more done in a session with the weed eater.  It's clear that I don't have to work quite so hard.

This Sunday will mark exactly 4 years that we've been in our house.  I've always heard it said that it takes 5 years to get a raw property under control, and I've always believed it.  I've found that it takes me one full  year just moving into a different house, whether a brand-new one or not, to make that house feel like home.

So it was with great satisfaction that the dogs and I (meeting up with Rickie the Flash Cat on the way) strolled along on our walk, seeing how far we had come in 4 years. 

Not bad.