What I learned From Yard Work - Lynn Raye Harris

Yard work is worse than a four-letter word. Or it is for me. Perhaps you love it. Perhaps you love those first bright days of spring, when the weather is getting warmer and the garden calls to you to dig and plant and mulch.

Me, not so much. But it has to be done, or I’m likely to get drummed out of the neighborhood for having a really crappy yard. I don’t think the neighbors would appreciate me bringing down their property value. :)

This weekend I did what any grown woman would do. I called my parents and begged for help. My husband, darling man that he is, is a computer geek. Not only does he despise yard work (except for the mowing and weed eating – odd, huh?), he also starts to sneeze and hack within mere moments of shifting soil.

And my flowerbeds were in desperate need of attention. The shrubs needed pruning, and there was a lot of grass that had overgrown the beds and needed digging out. I tried doing it myself, but the task was so overwhelming that I collapsed in tears the last time I attempted it.

Saturday morning, my parents arrived loaded down with gardening tools and the knowledge I lack. They accomplished in one day what I would have never managed in a month of weekends. Of course I helped! And I learned a ton in the process.

It was a long day, exhausting, but I now have clean flowerbeds, neat shrubs, pretty flowers, and my house no longer looks like a candidate for a horror movie location. Somewhere during this whole day, the garage got cleaned and rearranged too (Hubby was a primary part of that project).

You may be wondering what this has to do with writing or reading. A lot, I think. Because after the day was over and I was pondering all we’d accomplished, I thought of the manuscript I’m working on right now. When I’m writing, I have no idea where the thorny weeds will be lurking in the book or how long it will take me to pull them out and clean the beds. I just know it has to be done, no matter how much I’m not looking forward to it. I may not call my parents to help, but my editor will definitely have suggestions when I send her the completed book – she knows where to trim the shrubs and how to plant the prettiest flowers.

As for reading, if the characters didn’t go through a spot of trouble, the book wouldn’t be very interesting, would it? I love it when a character has to do something hard in order to gain the reward at the end. In my books, the hero and heroine always have a lot of digging and pruning to do before they get their happy ending!

Basically, what I learned from yard work this weekend is that nothing worthwhile is accomplished without a bit of sweat. And there’s always someone else who knows more than you do and can help you through the rough bits. Thank heavens!

Do you like gardening? If so, do you have any good tips for a non-gardener like myself?

Come visit me at http://www.LynnRayeHarris.com for excerpts from my books, somewhat regular chatter on my blog, and the occasional contest where I giveaway goodies!