"Nothing New Here?..."

... Just the "same old...same old"!

Doesn't matter where you live...yardwork is inevitable!

When we were back in Illinois

Scott and I worked one day
using a small hand saw and tree clippers,
to trim overgrown bushes and trees and hedges and the like...
bagging 14 jumbo recycling bags full of yard waste
and tying together 4 huge bundles of thicker limbs
to be carried off the next day by Waste Management.
And...
That didn't even include mowing the lawn, edging, pulling weeds,
"yadda, yadda, yadda...!"

It was just more or the "same old..same old..."

we have done every summer.

We knew yard work in Arizona was inevitable too,

and we also knew it was a different animal...entirely!

Everything growing in the desert has some sort of thorn or "bite" to it

and it is ferociously fearsome to tackle!
This morning , Domingo and his 2 man crew

worked for 2 hours using power "whackers" to tame

8 thorny bougainvillea bushes,

5 Mexican bird of paradise,

2 spiked Palo Verde trees,

and one Canary Island palm...

all gone "wild and woolly" since we were away.

Thorny prickly yard debris was everywhere

piled 3-4 feet high in places

from front to back!
Palm fronds and branches and limbs

were lifted with pitchforks and thrown into
the back of a huge open "soon to be overflowing" trailer cart.

Like a myriad of snowflakes in a windstorm,

papery dried bougainvillea blossoms were spun everywhere in the air

given flight by blasts from two powerful yard blowers.

Nothing new here...

Yes, again, the "same old...same old"-just Arizona style.

Hmmm...

"Nothing new here..."

In proofing these words, now in the wee hours of this day,

I find my spirit unsettled.

I have spoken only of mundane things.

Trying to be witty and clever and light...

Chores, and routines, and piles of yard waste...

the "same old ...same old."

Not once thinking or speaking about a bigger picture.

My heart aches for those who are experiencing

numbing loss this year due to uncontrollable forces of nature.
Lives and spirits and property have been brutally bashed.

No one ever knows when strife will happen.

No day should ever be the "same old same old..."

Every day really counts...Lives must be lived with gratitude,
Blessings must be counted daily.
I pray that with faith and hope all will be able to

piece together the broken bits of their spirits

their hearts, their homes and their days...