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Unanticipated side effects
Jul. 31st, 2005 10:18 amDog-sitting results in weeding. Who knew?
Not I, until yesterday and today. And my gardens already look 247% better.
Here's how it works. Dog needs to go out, so you pick up frisbee, open door, step outside, and fling the frisbee. Dog, having followed you, runs after frisbee, picks it up, finds a good place to do her business, and then ambles back in response to your hand signal, at which time you fling the frisbee again. But there's a lot of white space in the process. Dead air, as it were. And there are all these 3-4 foot weeds at the garden edges. So you yank some weeds. The dog, seeing that you're occupied rather than looking at her and giving the return hand signal, enjoys ambling even more. She hasn't been here since May, and she was more closely supervised then as there was a party on. That didn't leave her many opportunities to check out the interesting animal holes in the ground, or other delights of the yard. The last time she was here for a long stay, it was winter, and its delights were completely different. So you pull some more weeds, enjoying the relaxed timing of the whole process.
You do if you're me, anyway.
Repeat 4-5 times a day, and it quickly becomes a habit. Paths through the garden areas emerge, and patterns of relaxed, shaggy variety replace those of wild jungle. The profile now varies from 1-4 feet, rather than being a 3-4 foot mass. And the 7-foot volunteer whatever-it-was at the far corner of the driveway is flung down the hillside along with armfuls of the overly prolific 4 foot thingies. I'm even worse at weed names than I am with plants. Yes, I know. A weed is simply a plant that's someplace you don't want it.
For my next trick, I'll refill the gas can so I can refill the mower. The lawn is pretty much the shaggiest it's been yet, too.
Not I, until yesterday and today. And my gardens already look 247% better.
Here's how it works. Dog needs to go out, so you pick up frisbee, open door, step outside, and fling the frisbee. Dog, having followed you, runs after frisbee, picks it up, finds a good place to do her business, and then ambles back in response to your hand signal, at which time you fling the frisbee again. But there's a lot of white space in the process. Dead air, as it were. And there are all these 3-4 foot weeds at the garden edges. So you yank some weeds. The dog, seeing that you're occupied rather than looking at her and giving the return hand signal, enjoys ambling even more. She hasn't been here since May, and she was more closely supervised then as there was a party on. That didn't leave her many opportunities to check out the interesting animal holes in the ground, or other delights of the yard. The last time she was here for a long stay, it was winter, and its delights were completely different. So you pull some more weeds, enjoying the relaxed timing of the whole process.
You do if you're me, anyway.
Repeat 4-5 times a day, and it quickly becomes a habit. Paths through the garden areas emerge, and patterns of relaxed, shaggy variety replace those of wild jungle. The profile now varies from 1-4 feet, rather than being a 3-4 foot mass. And the 7-foot volunteer whatever-it-was at the far corner of the driveway is flung down the hillside along with armfuls of the overly prolific 4 foot thingies. I'm even worse at weed names than I am with plants. Yes, I know. A weed is simply a plant that's someplace you don't want it.
For my next trick, I'll refill the gas can so I can refill the mower. The lawn is pretty much the shaggiest it's been yet, too.
