Blue About Mr. Red.

I haven’t cut the grass much this year.
We moved into our current house about 5 years ago and since then I have done some amazing things to the yard. Before we moved in, there was nothing but grass. Now the whole house is surrounded with roses, azaleas, tulips, you name it we probably planted it. It’s the kind of yard that screams, “Come play outside”.

Or at least it was…

This year something is different. The major reason I’m not out there is Fred. I just don’t have the time or the interest to be in the yard all day. Every time I go out to do something about the weeds or to prune a rose, I think about what I could be doing inside with the baby. There is only so much you can squeeze into two days and Fred has jumped to the top of the list. However this isn’t the only reason I don’t want to be outside.

Mr. Red has lived across the street from us for over 30 years. He loves to tell stories about how my house was once a swamp. On occasion he would actually load a few of the kids up in a flat bottom boat and row through what would someday become a thriving community. He once got so tired of the snakes coming from the swamp, that he set it on fire. The city refused to come out and clear the area, so he lit it up and it burned for 3 days before anyone came out.

Every week I’ll start to cut grass and there will be Mr. Red working on the old gray pickup or sitting next to his pond watching the gold fish swim in circles. When he’s not outside, I find myself looking up to see if he’s heard my mower and just hasn’t made it out yet. It’s often the case that we spend more time swapping stories than we do getting any work done.

Mr. Red passed away earlier this year and as you may have noticed…I still talk like he’s still around. His truck is still there. His wife still comes over to see the baby or catch us up on neighborhood gossip. His yard is in better shape now than it ever was…not mine though.

Every couple of weeks I’ll go out and crank the mower. I get around to the front of the house and look up wondering where my friend is…and that makes me miss my wife and son. So this year I’ve got weeds. I’ve got gutters that need to be cleaned. I’ve a tool shed that is about to explode if I don’t get in there and organize it better. What I don’t have is a reason to go outside.