Long Long Weekend

We don't have a list tomorrow & Monday's a PH which means extra long weekend. Hubs has to work tomorrow so I'm going to resume working on the weeds again.

I haven't done anything to the weeds coz hubs made me promise I won't work on it for a few days until I'm fully recovered. The break makes me nervous coz I don't like procrastinating something that I've been given a deadline on. But we had a huge row over this problem 2 weeks ago & I just felt nothing is worth damaging our relationship for. I understand where he comes from. He doesn't want me to work so much on the lawn coz I had that repetitive stress injury & severe back pain from pulling out the weeds manually previously. (The back pain was from an old sprain I sustained few years ago while at work & remaining in the same position for a period as short as 30 mins causes me pain.)

The grub killer has been in since last Sunday. But I can't really tell if it's working since I haven't been out on the lawn. I'll mow the crab grass down with our newly bought mower & work on the garden bed. Hubs has been clearing the garden bed a little at a time for the past 2 days. What we discovered is that the mulch that the landlord put in before we moved in is so thin that they're barely there. That's probably why there's so much weeds also coz I've been told the mulch not only serves as a deterrent for the sand to be blown all over the place, it also prevents weeds. So we got to top up the mulch. This is turning out to be really costly. I'm sure what we spent on the lawn is our 2 months worth of grocery money. But let's just get it done.

Been chanting about this problem. Through chanting, I can see why we reacted so strongly. Becoz the landlord didn't make requests. They made demands & (I won't say everybody but) most people don't appreciate demands. I did say that we'll try to pull out the crab grass once they're dead coz it'll be easier. Then he asked me what do we intend to do about the holes left behind. Without waiting for an answer, he wanted me to get the couch seeds to pour into the holes 1 by 1 to regrow the couch there. (I was told the couch will grow back anyway which is what happened to the front lawn that I manually did the weeding on.) I intend to get it anyway for areas that can't be saved. Anyway, I did manage to find enough peace to pray for them. I shall try my very best not to be too affected regardless of what they say when they come down. Coz I know this problem can be settled. We just need time for everything to work. Even if they continue to put pressure on us, some things just can't be rushed.

Caught A Bug

I realised I left out some more details but I was too sick yesterday to update my blog. I slept early on Sunday night & developed severe nausea at 12 mn, followed by bodyaches that kept me mostly awake. I contemplated skipping work coz the pain was so bad I couldn't even sit up. But I took synflex, the only painkiller I have at home & went to work anyway. While at work, I took 2 different types of anti emetics for my nausea when the 1st type didn't work. Then I took another 2 different types of painkillers. Even then, I still had aches everywhere. I think if I didn't take any, I probably won't even be able to maintain an upright position.

Anyway, we were instructed by the gardener to just mow the crab grass down right? You know what the landlord suggested? He wanted us to get Round Up in gel form & apply it on the blades of the grass 1 by 1. When it dies, we should pull them out 1 by 1. (Round Up gel is a type of weed killer that works when you apply it to the leaves of the weeds. Becoz it's applied only to the weeds, surrounding grass won't die.) I'm going to post a picture of the back lawn so you can see how unreasonable the request is. They insisted we get a gardener in to advise us on the crab grass. But after we've done that, they insisted that we follow their method instead of the gardener's. Then why get the gardener in the 1st place?

He kept saying it wouldn't have come to this if we had taken care of the weeds in the 1st place. We've moved in for 4 months only. I did the weeding but how was I to know I should get rid of the crab grass along with the weeds? We've never encountered weeds in our lives. We did the best we can, even hiring a gardener as per requested. Hubs is livid. He wanted me to ask when they're coming again coz he wanted to make sure he's at home to talk to them. But knowing him, he may lose his cool & things may turn ugly.

I know from my Buddhist studies that difficult circumstances polishes our lives. I'm trying my hardest not to let anger rule me & to just concentrate on the problem. But it's really hard. 1 thing for sure, we're out of here the moment our lease ends.

So there. How do you propose that I apply Round Up gel to every single 1 of these crab grass?

Gardener Says

Just received a call from my landlord. They wanted to know what I've done with regards to the weeds & have I engaged a gardener. They want to come down for another inspection next week.

Recap on what has been happening. The gardener came on Thursday morning when we were all away at work. He called hubs & told him that what we have is crab grass & it's a type of winter grass. It'll die off naturally when the temperature becomes higher. As long as we keep it short with regular mowing, it'll prevent it from seeding & from the problem recurring next winter. The issue with the lawn not thriving well is due to the presence of garden grubs that are eating the roots, therefore killing the lawn.

The priority is to get grub killer applied to the lawn, then spray the lawn with weed killer & fertilise it every 3 months to maintain it. The garden bed needs to be sprayed & a thick layer of mulch applied & resprayed with weed killers every 2 weeks.

This info I relate to my landlord. But I get the feeling that they're putting the pressure on to get it done by the time they come down again. I tried to hint that it's going to be raining for the next few days so we're very unlikely to get anything done. But seems like they're not accepting that as an "excuse" & wants us to mow the crab grass down asap. Then he jumped to the garden bed that's full of the crab grass as well.

Ok, I get you. We'll hand pull the crab grass from the garden bed as quickly as we can even if it means working in the rain. Coz the lawn has grub killer applied to it & needs a repeat application in 10 days. Then we have to wait 2 weeks before weed killer can be applied. Hubs is really in a foul mood after hearing all this. I tried my best & we've spent hundreds of dollars trying to fix up the lawn. I really don't know what else they want from us.

Too Much Too Fast

I knew something was not right when I couldn't even grip my toothbrush properly this morning. I don't need a doctor to tell me that I've got repetitive stress injury. I can't squeeze toiletries bottles for shampoo or shower gel. Thankfully I still can write & scrub.

I probably overdid the weeding with 12 hours over 4 days. Well, I'll be getting 2 days break coz I worked late today & will be again tomorrow. Can't be weeding when it's all dark out right? I looked out the backyard yesterday & was horrified to see that the weeds have grown several inches since my landlord mowed the lawn 6 days ago. I'm not joking. They were flushed against the ground after the mowing last Wednesday & they're at least 6 inches tall as of yesterday afternoon. I feel like crap coz I know this is not something I can get solved no matter how many more hours I put into pulling out the weeds manually.

I'm so so so damn tempted to just get Weed n Feed. A colleague gave me the number to a guy who does her lawn. So I'm currently on the queue to have my lawn assessed. I'm definitely not stopping him if he wants to spray weed killers on the lawn. As hubs say, who are we to tell the gardener how to do his job?

Weeding Is Good Exercise

Why do I say that? When I go jogging after a long hiatus, I get muscle aches in my thighs. Going down the stairs & squatting will be difficult. Weeding is a different thing all together. It's definitely not aerobic exercise so it can only be anaerobic aka resistance training. I spent 2 hours on Friday weeding the back lawn & was only successful clearing merely 1 by 1 metre of the lawn. Yup, the weeds are that saturated. The forecast of rain didn't disappoint for the weekend. I don't think it'll disappoint for the rest of next week as well. Still, I managed to put in 4.5 hours weeding the front lawn on Saturday. (It's way smaller than the back lawn so it feels more surmountable.) I continued even though it started drizzling, seeking shelter only when it started pouring. I considered skipping Soka meeting today to make the best use of the dry weather before it started raining again. But I shook myself out of that train of thought. Nothing should take precedence over faith. Not even the possibility of the landlord coming down on me for not working on the lawn. I'm glad I attended.

Today's topic was on 2nd SGI president Josei Todai's admonishment about the use of nuclear weapons. It wasn't becoz his homeland of Japan was bombed, leading to the end of WW2. But becoz he valued life tremendously. In fact, he & 1st SGI president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi protested against the emperor for wanting to invade other countries, leading to WW2. For that, they were thrown in jail, culminating in Mr Tsunesaburo's death in jail. Mr Josei was eventually released from jail but in a frail condition. Then we went on to discuss on the fundamental darkness that exists in everybody's life. The main teaching in Nichiren Buddhism is to work to challenge & overcome our evil tendencies. (So I always say Nichiren Buddhism is not a religion. We don't pray to a higher being to answer our prayers. We seek what is inside, mustering the will & strength to overcome our problems.) It releases me from whatever negative feelings I've been having over the recent events. I found peace once again.

Back to topic. I started off squatting but there's only so long I can squat. After I could no longer remain squatting, I knelt to do the weeding. When I could no longer kneel, I sat on the lawn. I don't ever sit on grass not becoz I think it's dirty but becoz I'm terribly fearful of creepy crawlies. The lawn is full of grubs, millipedes & centipedes. I will absolutely freak if they climb onto me. But I had to continue & sitting is the only option left. My knees are bruised & swollen from all that kneeling. It's so bad I can't even climb into bed. (That's how I've been getting in bed this way since young so I do it without conscious effort, only remembering when pain starts shooting from my knees.) My index fingers are both swollen & I can hardly bend them. Weeding really is hard work, especially when they've been allowed 4 months to establish their roots. I joked to hubs that by the time I'm done, I will be so experienced that I can advertise to do weeding on the weekends for people who need the extra hand for $20/hr. Lol.

I managed to put in another 3 hours of weeding for the front lawn when I got home from the meeting. All in all, 7.5 hours of weeding yet there're still plenty of weeds left. I can't even begin to think of the back lawn which is at least 4 times the size of the front lawn. This is not something I can complete within a week. It'll probably take be at least 2 months to get them all out by myself. I'm doing the 6.30 am shift tomorrow & probably won't be home till dark. But I'm off on Tuesday as there aren't any surgeries so I can put in the whole day if the weather stays dry. I made the decision to spread the Lawn Builder to the front lawn since most of the bigger weeds are out. I then watered the lawn with diluted Seasol to dissolve the granules. The subsequent rain helped me in that as well. The packaging states that I will start seeing results 2 days from application. So let's see if the lawn is indeed greener & healthier on Tuesday.

Jogging produces aching thighs. Weeding on the other hand, produces aching neck, shoulders, back, arms, thighs, calves & gluts. So I guess in that sense, weeding works more muscle groups than jogging.

Mystery Solved

I finished work early today & got home at 2 pm. I set off to work immediately on the lawn. What surprised me was that the weeds were not that bad. Unless you count the ones I call SG grass (coz they look exactly like the grass we have in SG). My landlord previously told me that it is grass & we can just leave it. So I thought to myself, "What the heck! I'll just pull out every damn thing that doesn't look like couch or whatever the breed of the lawn is." Even my landlord herself isn't sure what type of lawn she put in.

When hubs got home, I took a break to greet him at the door. Only then did I realised that it was already 4 pm. No wonder I felt giddy when I stood up. I had been kneeling & bending over the lawn for 2 hours!

I've asked colleagues & friends for advice on the state of the lawn. Everyone tells me to just apply the Feed n Weed. How will my landlord know? The next time they're here, all they'll see is lush green lawn without weeds. Getting a gardener in will cost us more per hour than what both our salaries combine. But I just feel that since they don't allow any weed killers on the lawn, then let's just not do it. We still need to solve the problem of the lawn not being very green. So I took a picture of the lawn, rip off a piece of the "grass" that my landlord said was grass & set off for Bunnings.

We got help from a staff & he confirmed that the so called "grass" is actually weed. No wonder the lawn isn't growing well. If I had known that was weed, I would have pulled them out like I did with the other weeds during my weekly weeding sessions. Mystery solved. But then the entire lawn is full of this "weed grass" so I'll be spending the entire weekend pulling them out. The staff recommended a fertiliser that contains wetting agent (becoz we have sand instead of soil) & told us to apply it after we're done with the weeding. So hopefully that'll work. Our damage's slightly cheaper than having a gardener for an hour. But that's becoz we bought a fertiliser spreader & a 9L watering can as well. I saw couch seeds for sale as well. If all else fails, I'll get that & regrow the lawn.

Knowing what the problem is lifted a weight off our shoulders. Hubs appears not to be so mad about the entire incident anymore. He told me "Oh well. Doesn't matter what you were told. That's in the past. Now we know better. Let's just get the thing done." I'm glad coz it's almost his birthday & I don't want this incident to dampen his spirits.

Weed Woes

Landlord came to mow the lawn today. They don't have to do it but they were kind enough to do it, else I'll be either doing it myself or hiring someone to get it done. Knowing that the lawn's overrun by weeds, I asked (via FB) if I can use Weed n Feed (as suggested by J). But they felt the weeding chemicals will kill the lawn & they would mow the lawn then let me know.

I feel that they were unhappy with the state of the lawn & told me that I will need to get the weeds under control & that the lawn is not thriving becoz of the weeds. I was told to hire a gardener to get the weeds problem fixed.

I'm gonna have to ask my colleague for recommendation as she gets someone to do it once in a while. I hope it's not going to cost me an arm & a leg. Back when I wasn't working, I'll spend time pulling them out 1 by 1 on a daily basis. But now I can only do it on the weekend & there's absolutely no way I can keep up with the growth. It takes me more than an hour to clear a tenth of the back lawn.

Oh well... if it has to be done, it has to be done. Just feeling kinda lousy not becoz of having to spend the money but becoz I feel that I've failed. It's alright. I'll never allow myself to be defeated. I'll bounce right back soon enough.

Sweating It Out

Been doing recovery this week & last. Initially, I didn't quite enjoy it but it's just my perfectionist psyche at work. On my 2nd day in recovery, I felt I wasn't picking up what was required of me. I was right there on my 2nd day circulating that I could be left on my own. So being unable to replicate that frustrates me. I was missing out things that should be documented. I felt awkward going through pre op assessment & post op instructions with patients & their relatives. Firstly, becoz I had not familiarised myself with the processes & secondly, becoz of my inarticulate self. I know it's unrealistic to expect myself to be able to function well on my 2nd day in recovery. I made use of my feelings of inadequacy to push myself forward. I told myself that I just have to face what I fear. Face it & conquer it. That's the only way to get ahead. I continued to feel lousy on my 3rd day (Monday) in recovery. But by my 4th day, yesterday, I began to feel being "in it". I'm giving out post op instructions without appearing that I'm reading from script. It feels like a well rehearsed dance. I feel like I'm dancing around recovery, floating from 1 task to another. For 2 days in a row, I actually sweated while at work. I still feel lost though, when there's nothing to do. I'm still not used to having periods that are quiet, for example while waiting for patient to come out from surgery. I feel like I should be doing something. I just can't kick back & relax.

On my drive out this morning (no, it's not another driver), I noticed a red light that flashed every few seconds just ahead. This road is unlit as it doesn't have street lights. I slowed down & when my headlights revealed what was ahead, I braked & gave them a wide clearance. It was a guy skateboarding on the road with his husky without a leash! Oh my gosh! I had several cars behind me & anyone of us could have hit them in the dark. The husky could have dashed into the middle of the road & gotten itself killed. What was this guy thinking??? No matter how well trained you think your dog is, there're no guarantees that it won't take off if there's a sudden loud noise. Something my dog trainer said stuck with me despite all these years. I sent Puggy for obedience training as he's really a handful when he was 8 months old (he's 7 years old now). The trainer related this incident where a guy felt his dogs were perfectly trained. They could walk without a leash perfectly. That means that they never walked ahead of him, always alongside. When he stopped, the dogs stopped & sat stay. 1 day he was out on a walk with his dogs when there was a loud pop, all his dogs scattered. He didn't even know who to chase after since they all ran in different directions. 1 was lucky as it ran into the housing area. 2 were not as lucky as they dashed out onto the road & were killed instantly by an oncoming car. I don't want to be critical but these are potential accidents that can be prevented. Urgh! It makes me so furious that people are not giving a damn about their dogs' life & well being.

Having a half day list today, I got home by 2 pm. Seeing that the weather was nice, I decided to bring Ton for a walk around the neighbourhood. As usual, my lazy ass of a dog only managed to make it to the park 200 m away before indicating that he wanted to go home. We got back & I unleashed him without letting him into the house. He had been indoor most of the times & I wanted him to get a bit of sunshine & fresh air. He patiently sat by the front door while I pulled weeds from the front lawn for an hour. Occasionally, he would walk over & smelled my butt. Silly dog. I haven't done much weeding since I started working so I had weeds with thick stems, weeds that had flowered & the "spring onion" weeds that J told me about. An hour squatting on the lawn is no joke. When I tried to get up, my back wouldn't straighten. Lol. Signs of ageing. Even then, I still had many smaller weeds & that's just the front lawn. Not to mention the weeds that've grown in between all the pavers. Gosh... I think I really need the Weed n Feed for the back lawn.

There you go. I kid you  not. The weeds really flowered.

The "spring onion" weed, complete with a bulb of "onion".