Why can't we be yard-people?

If I had my digital camera figured out, I'd show you my yard. That alone will tell you that our yard isn't a complete disaster, the fact I'd show it to you. But it isn't the perfectly trimmed and pruned yard I've always wanted.

Now, this is no fault of my Gorgeous Redhead's. I am not going to nag a man who works 40 hours plus, works every other weekend, goes to school full time, runs an RCIA program, and has 100 hours of practicum internship work to do by December to go out on his few days off that he gets and bust his rump pulling weeds and pruning bushes.

However, my attempts at being an understanding wife would be so much easier if we didn't live on the mow-the-lawn-once-a-week street.

Of course I don't feel too too guilty, beause there was literally a day when I was driving my kids to school and I counted (not exaggerating) SIX gardening trucks up and down the street at the same time. And, I know for a fact others on our street have guys come to do their yards on other days of the week than the day the 6 trucks were spotted. So I feel about the same way as I did when I found out that the two ladies with the cleanest, most beautiful houses I had ever seen had cleaning ladies come in once a week. We just don't have room in the budget to actually have people do the grunt work for us.

I say grunt work because really, my G.R. doesn't mind mowing lawns, raking leaves, pruning trees, etc. What he and I hate are weeds, and stray grass, and bugs, and stuff like that. The grunt work. I mean, anyone can push a lawnmower. I even did that a few weeks ago in my third trimester, which GR did NOT like because he says it makes him look bad when the pregnant lady has to go out there to push the big, bad lawnmower while the guy in the suit drives away to work.

But there are some people whose yards just look...immaculate. And not the gardener-for-hire immaculate. It's the "I've got up every morning at 6 a.m. and bought every spray known to man to protect my plants (and even my sidewalk cracks) and live at Home Depot looking for the latest way to make my yard look even more like heaven-on-earth" immaculate. I would LOVE to be like those people.

I really wish I wasn't the one who was laid up on Saturdays making big-breakfasts and coffee and lounging in my PJ's watching 80's movies (even when not pregnant). I want to be the one with the hat, gloves, and galoshes in my yard making it beautiful.

SIGH.

I guess I'd be asking for a total revamping of my personality though. And G.R.'s.

But as soon as I figure out my digital camera, I'll show you all a picture of my yard. Then you tell me if I'd be the neighbor whose house you'd drive by and groan, "Ugh, I wish they'd do something about that yard!"