Mack Finally Weighs In

I know I was called out several months ago for my lack of participation on this blog. So I thought in the wake of all the hub-bub going on around here recently, I’d actually take some time to add a few anecdotes to OUR site. After all, it is entitled “Sweet Tea and Mack”. Perhaps it is time for the “Mack” part of it to finally contribute…….

Under the guise of being a good husband, I have taken an active part in Sweet Tea’s endeavors at gardening this summer. She comes up with the ideas and I lend a helping hand (and back) to make her wishes come to fruition. I have absolutely no problem with helping my wife with her little projects. To be honest, I have been chomping at the bit since I arrived here in H’burg over a year ago (as I’m writing this it will be 1 year and 11 days to be exact) at getting outside and doing a little yard work.

YES. I actually enjoy doing yard work. And despite Casandra’s sarcastic comments regarding my having been a “farmer” (my ex and I lived on a 38 acre “farm” at one time), I really do miss the whole aspect of outside home improvement in the form of gardening and landscaping. Of course our “yard” here at the townhouse is not much to work with …..and a far cry from the volume of land I once worked at my old “farm”….but we have plans to improve upon that situation sometime in the future.

You may notice that when I refer to my old “farm”, that the word farm is in quotation marks. That is to emphasize the fact that, to some folks (ie: Casandra), a farm consists of more than just a barn, a little acreage, and a few sickly horses to feed. A farm should have life stock, perhaps a crop or two, that produces some sort of monetary gain or life sustaining advantages (ie: raising food for ones own consumption). On the other hand, raising horses for the purpose of having them run aimlessly about devouring grass all day is hardly a “working farm”. And considered (again, someone in particulars point of view) a thorough waste of time and energy. Not to mention laughable.

But I worked my ass off maintaining that glorified lump of land. And those who know me best are fully aware that, during that particular point in my life, I had a lot of ass to work off.

A 3 acre yard that alone took 4 solid ours of mowing and weed eating to maintain. Sustaining an age-old wooden fence line until the summer it was replaced by “Life Time Fencing” (a wonderful investment at the time). A two-stall barn and all that it entails to keep two horses comfortable and happy (mucking stalls and keeping it halfway clean). An extra 10 acres worth of field that needed mowed as well (I miss that old ’58 Ford Jubilee Tractor). And of course the brush hogging that was required to keep the spring (from which we received our refreshing supply of running water) clear and operational throughout the hot summer days. Not to mention a large garden or two every other year that usually fell to me to take care of when my ex decided she had “better things to do with her time” (never mind it was her idea to start it in the first place); and it became quite a daunting task for one man to undertake by himself.

But I digress.

Life is much simpler now. Casandra and I are in the midst of renovating our little townhouse (I say “ours” since I live here and we’re married). I’m not much of a carpenter, mind you. But I am fully capable of learning new things. Though I haven’t taken the bull by the horns yet and finished laying our flooring or finishing the painting in our bedroom. But when my wife mentioned that she would love to try square foot gardening this year and perhaps plant a few flowers (and a Japanese Maple tree) near our front “stoop”, I more than jumped at the chance to do what I most enjoy.

OUTSIDE PROJECTS!!

Now my past few weekends off have found me, at the direction of my beautiful wife/supervisor, digging holes, putting together box frames, and planting glorious little plants that will one day yield delectable fruits and vegetables. The task of planting flowers and that tree out front has not gotten underway as of yet. But those particular projects are on hold until the flowers are ordered and arrive for planting. Of course, every night Candy spends in front of the computer gets us that much closer to the day when her “boyfriends” (aka: the Fed Ex, UPS, and U.S. Postman) deliver the next round of internet purchased goodies.

And with trowel in hand, I shall help my beautiful wife with her next project to improve our little home…..

Told you, Sweet Tea, there was more to me than just being a computer geek.