Better than church

When I moved away from my rural childhood home, some friends and family were worried that I was giving up a lot and getting very little in return.

Down home, when there's a death or trouble in a family, the church ladies get together and make a big meal or series of meals for the survivors. Small towns will band together an have fundraisers for other issues, or just send the kids over to mow the yard, bale the hay or do whatever needs doing but can't be done due to said trouble. And family, of course, is always around and available to help you out.

I'm not even IN trouble (not really) and I have all of the above and more thanks to wonderful friends who have become family. I've already mentioned the gifts and flowers, food and drink and treats that have come my way since my hip surgery - for which I'll be eternally grateful. 

Last week, Jeff was contemplating bailing on an overnight work thing that had been scheduled for months.  But after three weeks of taking care of most of my needs - some more personal than others - the guy truly deserved a night away me, a king-sized bed he could wallow in alone, and no responsibilities once the work stuff was out of the way. If I were him, I'd have found a way to stay another night or the whole weekend.

As he talked about doing the thing via an online connection, I told him I was sure I could get a babysitter so he could go. My friend Karin had been asking me if she could do something for me and I knew she'd at least come tuck me in so Jeff could get away.

Karin spent the night with me (thanks, Dale) and even brought dinner. Then, she came back to chauffeur me to Book Club Friday. Then, in lieu of attending church this morning, she made me a service project and took charge of my out-of-control front garden bed.

I've been searching the Internet in vain for evidence that I can safely bend over and resume some yard work. My particular hip surgery took an anterior approach, which is less traumatic than a traditional approach where they cut into your back to get to the affected hip. That means, there are far fewer restrictions and a potentially quicker recovery. Sadly, the bending over restriction seems universal and I may be out of the yardwork lineup for the season.

I'm pretty sure my weeds were reading the same material because in the last three and a half weeks, they've grown like, well, weeds.

Many of the summer blooms are just about out of juice, and the weeds took advantage of that as well. What they hadn't planned on was that Karin caught on to them pretty damn fast when she dropped by. 

Not being able to attend to the yard is every bit as annoying as not being able to put on my own underwear. A couple weeks ago, my neighbor Lois took pity on me and mowed my yard. 

Jeff had actually done some weed trimming before Karin came by today. Before she arrived, he helped me tie up some flowers that needed a bit of help to get through the rest of the season. Karin tacked weeds and flowers that needed cut back while Jeff mowed and hacked down gone-by Black-eyed-Susans under the magnolia. 

Together, they filled three yard bags full of weeds and flower debris. All I had to do was point my cane here and there and suggest to keep this or toss that. I'm going to erect a little sign dedicating one particular section of phlox to Karin for her reclamation efforts. 

That's love, man. 

And if you ask me, every bit as important as church. Once I'm able to move normally again, I'm going to pressure Karin into us doing a day of service for someone at least once a month on a Sunday. So stay my friend, friends. I've got a bunch of paying it forward to do.