Apr. 21, 2008 Monday

---

Springtime. A time of renewal and rebirth. Except in our poor yard.

There is not enough topsoil to support a healthy lawn. When we first moved in twenty-plus years ago, we had a freshly sodded green carpet of grass. We purchased shrubs to line the driveway, and added thirteen young trees to our estate, and no less than 50 bulbs to bring nature's color scheme close to home.

Two years later the lawn was sickly and thatched with dead grass. Following all the formulas for a decent lawn proved futile. Weeds marched through all our defenses. A group of neighbors sued the developer for removing topsoil before putting down sod and they settled out of court.

Before long, the lawn services came calling, promising to nurse our lawn back to health. Six years and $1200 later it's no different.

But the evergreens are doing fine. Five of the 13 trees have grown considerably. And I can always count on four of the original 50 bulbs (all daffodils) from twenty years ago to come back every spring.

I guess there's renewal and rebirth after all, even for us brown thumbs.