"They Have Drugs For That Nowadays, You Know!"

My husband can get very focused and refuse to let something go. It is usually a cleaning thing. I tell him I think he is mildly OCD. When it’s really bad I will usually lean over and say, “They have drugs for this nowadays, you know.” It’s kind of a family joke.

Today I had a neighbor call me to see if he could help out with our lawn. It’s been nearly 2 weeks since our lawn guys have come and let me tell you, living in Florida, you need to cut your grass every 5 days in the summer or you start living in the grasslands. Small animals and children can get lost. So it was starting to look like we were about to get in trouble with lawn mower cloggings and too many clippings killing our grass etc.

My husband was at the office when "Bob" called, preparing for Ivan. His office took some SERIOUS damage during Frances and if he didn’t have the office boarded up, we could lose everything. I’m serious and not exaggerating. Most who know us know of the potential plight and how he is scrambling to keep it all together for any potential wind damage we could get from Ivan. (We do not own the building. We rent. We're on the 2nd floor. 3 windows blew out onto the parking lot and 2 more are broken.) He was at Lowe’s yesterday trying to get plywood (a failure) and was on his cell phone in line calling every Home Depot and Lowe’s from here to Delray (unsuccessful) and finally found some at a lumber yard. He had his sign company bolt it to the building this afternoon. Anyway, Bob called him at the office too and my husband told him that no he would cut it tomorrow. (We have a riding mower.) Bob was emphatic.

I come home this morning about 10:30 having picked up a playdate for Son#1. I see someone on a mower and figured my lawn guys had finally showed up. I’m in the house doing Mom stuff when I hear a rap on my door. There’s Bob, with a rake. He asks me to call his son and tell him to get his butt out of bed, bring some oil, a rake, and garbage bags. I’m horrified. It was Bob who was cutting my lawn! So I call his Beau Hunky 23 year old Man/Boy son and he comes over with all we need.

I can’t very well let these two men work in my yard and not help. That is just Wrong. (Note the capital W.) So I change my clothes, put on my ball cap, and run outside to help. The grass is so long, it’s like hay on my yard when it’s cut. Bob tells me we have to bag it or my grass with die. Did I say I live on an acre? Beau Hunky Man/Boy and I start raking and bagging and hauling it to the curb. It took us 3 ½ hours.

Bob’s wife, a friend of mine, shows up because Bob MUST go get his allergy shot. Seems Bob is allergic to grass and has bad asthma. Bob is cutting my grass. I’m starting to freak and now the three of us are yelling at Bob that he has to go home and Beau Hunky Man/Boy and I will finish up. BTW, Beau Hunky Man/Boy has now shed his shirt as it’s hot as hell out. He was a football player in college. Not a fat blubbery football player either. At 6'5" of solid muscle he watches what he eats and is very toned. Women my age should not be subjected to such. I kept trying not to look. Concentration was very sporadic.

Finally when the last bag was filled, he took it to the curb and went home to shower and get his allergy shot. I so wanted to yell at him, “Bob! They have drugs for this nowadays, you know!” The man is completely OCD about his yard. He must mow his lawn every 4 days religiously. It was making him nuts thinking my yard would go one more day… and I live 10 houses down in a cul de sac! He can’t even see my house!

So today I bagged an acre’s worth of grass. With a Beau Hunky Man/Boy.

Bob works for a city north of here. He manages their parks and such. I’ve asked him to check tomorrow to see if they need help in their shelters. If they do, I’m going into work with him on Sunday to help in their shelters or to help do clean up. Palm Beach County got hit, don’t get me wrong, but Ft. Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Stuart, Jensen Beach… those folks took a beating in a bad bad way. They’re in a serious world of hurt. I’m hoping I can help.