$15 an hour

My shrub/chainsaw issues were solved. Last night, as I struggled with the little electric chainsaw and the ginormous shrubs in the back and side yards, I got to the point that I just wasn't sure I could it. The trunks were huge and the tiny chainsaw didn't much like them. I continued working along until dark but was praying for inspiration and ability to get the job done.

My prayers were answered by a knock at the door this afternoon. It was the neighbor of the alcoholic carpenter. He landscapes and mows yards for a living. He was asking if I would hire him to mow my yard this summer. He's willing to do it for the same price as the guy I usually hire and I'm willing to bet he does a better job. (Honestly, he could do much worse than Ed. Last year I really thought Stevie Wonder could have done a better job with the trimming.) So, I hired the new guy.

While he was here, I asked if he had an hourly rate for other yard tasks. He said $15 an hour. I took him out to the back introduced him to the enemy. He said he'd have them down and to the street and trim my other shrubs in about 3 hours. As he left to go get his fully-grown chainsaw, I thanked God for sending help. Sometimes half the battle is knowing when to quit. $45 is a small price to pay for sanity and the continued presence of all my limbs and fingers.