(This post is part of the Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge. You can find links to other writers' answers over at Long and Short Reviews.)
Prompt: least favorite chore and why?
Well... hard to say. I think the one I'm actually the worst at is yard work, though I arguably dislike cleaning the bathroom more. It's not just that I find yard work unpleasant or tedious -- I mean, that's pretty much chores by definition. It's a combination of things.
Thing One: I'm in Texas, so pretty much any time the yard needs mowing or trimming or even watering, it's pretty well guaranteed to be insanely hot outside. I do not deal well with heat. Nor, as an IT guy, am I particularly well adapted to that much sunlight. (I used to be, but... nope. Not any more.)
Me, in daylight, July 2022
Thing Two: We... actually park inside the garage. And owing to my aversion to heat/sunlight, I don't go outside unless there's a compelling reason. Other people may sit on the back porch and admire the landscaping, but I am not one of those people. If it's late enough in the evening that the sun isn't a problem, then I have to deal with the kamikaze mosquitos instead. It's just not worth it.
And as a result, I don't tend to notice that the yard needs maintenance until it's fully reverted to wilderness and nearby tribes of feral children have stepped out of the brush to ask if they could borrow a cup of Oreos.
Okay, yeah, might be time to trim the hedges.
So I deal with this the way any red-blooded American man deals with it: I hire somebody. We have a lawn service. We basically leave money sitting out for them, and every so often the yard suddenly looks neat and tidy and the money is gone. It's like the cobbler and the elves, except the elves have a cell phone number so we can get in touch with them.
It's awesome.
I still don't like cleaning the bathroom, though.
That’s a good solution to what sounds like a hot and unpleasant job.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yeah, cleaning the bathroom isn’t fun either.
It's worked brilliantly so far! And I like to think of it as supporting the local economy.
DeleteYes, it's hot and dry in New Mexico too, I water after dark, but we don't have Gallon Dillions. I have mostly flower gardens and rocks, desert landscaping. It doesn't take too much time, and I have a grandson I pay for weed control.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I kind of think North Texas is living on borrowed time when it comes to green lawns and well-manicured hedges. Problem is that we're not really suited for desert landscaping either; we're basically prairie, and that really would do my sinuses in.
DeleteLawn care is a wonderful way of supporting the local economy in my opinion :-)
ReplyDeleteI do what I can to help!
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ReplyDeleteHi!! Im just joining your blog hop group!! Im in Michigan, you would love it here!! It is cool and the sun is pleasant. I am not a fan of the snow!! I live in a great apartment so no lawn maintenance but I do have the yucky job of cleaning the bathrooms
ReplyDeleteWelcome! Michigan sounds very pleasant.
DeleteI don't like mowing the lawn. It make me all hot and sweaty. Plus my hands are cover in grease from pushing the lawn mower.
ReplyDeleteI get up early in the morning to tend to my garden. That the only outdoor work I will do.
Yeah, but I'm told that tending a garden is actually kind of soothing. (Maybe not for me, but, y'know, for people in general.) So I can see that as something worth doing, maybe more like a meditation than a chore.
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