Chateau Lloyd

We're almost halfway through May, and it's unclear which yards are participating in No Mow May and which are simply victims of a vigorous spring and/or overdue mower maintenance.

Until yesterday, I was in the latter category.  The battery on our venerable riding mower had been getting weak, and a charged it for several days, but it failed to start.  Further efforts with a battery charger failed, and in despair I jumped it with my car, which worked.

I have this problem with not realizing how old batteries are, and as a result run them to the point where they need constant recharging and/or boosting.  I did this with my car and now I'm doing it with the mower.

There are a few No Mow May signs up, but previous participants have dropped out.  My neighbors have a toddler now, and the prospect of the little squirt emerging from the grass covered in bug bites has convinced them that virtue signaling has its limits.

And the rapid onset of spring, with balmy temperatures and plentiful rain has caused a surge of growth, and if the mower is still being serviced, things can get awkward.

For a brief moment, my wife even seemed sympathetic to the cause of the pollinators, but then the first yellow jacket showed up and required immediate elimination.  Similar disregard for pollination potential occurred when a wasp was discovered in the Great Room.

I'm guessing next weekend will see the garden go in, and then the first pesticide application will be uncorked.

Summer is just around the corner.