Grass

A new season out here in NW NJ...haven't felt the bad effects of allergies yet, but today I cut the grass for the first time this year. I hate doing this, but it's gotta get done.

The old mower I have refused the offer to self-propel itself, so, fueled with some very expensive gasoline, my waning strength (I've been painting-no, not that kind (our front porch) all day) and many enriched profanities, I pushed the damn thing over the lawn. Our lawn is 15% grass, 50% weeds, 30% dandelions and 5% clods of dirt. These last items explode into big clouds of dust whenever I run over them. This is fortunate, the dust working as a drying agent. The drying agent is necessary to control the sweat, which has run rampant over me, because I'm pushing this very heavy lawnmower.

Hope things work out as well tomorrow when I will try to start the weedwacker.

By the way, Delilah continues to do well-she has been giving me the "nose" lately. This being a primitive form of communication signaling the fact that the dog wants something. Both dogs seem to do this, but Delilah is by far the more aggressive. She has been known to "nose" my mother in law when she was holding a very hot cup of tea. In this situation, the dog was signaling that she needed to be petted more.

I usually get a very cold (and wet, of course) nose on the inside of my arm that says "pet me" or "treat now" or "food now." Ignoring the dog causes her to go away and sulk. She sulks for about three minutes and then she is back. She brings her nose. And they say animals can't talk.

I did this head about a month ago. It is cut from some sort of primitive large masher and styled after African Tribal Sculpture. It is titled Someone or Other and sells for $175. plus shipping.