AS PERENNIAL AS THE GRASS

Where does that sentence come from? "as perennial as the grass" Seems to me that it's from a famous poem, or work of literature. That's the way my mind works - I remember bits and pieces like that, but next to nothing for reference points. At any rate, I've always loved the way it rolls off the tongue, and the reassurance it brings - that no matter what else goes on in this world, that the grass will always grow.

There was no doubt of this fact this past week. Two weeks ago, before the recent rains, our lawn was brown and brittle. It's a farm lawn, there are no pampering treatments to keep it weed free and lush here. On wet years it stays green throughout the whole summer, but give it a hot, dry season and the truth shows pretty fast. The grass quits growing and soon dries right off; the weeds take over. One would swear that all plant life would have to be started over from seed, but let it get a good drink and some sunshine and it's a nicer lawn now that it has been all summer long. I started cutting it yesterday and will finish as soon as the dew dries this morning. I love the scent of fresh cut grass.

The sky is September blue this morning. I don't know how to describe it, but it's a kinder, softer blue than the dazzling blue of summer skies. The crickets are chirping in the grasses (and in the basement - how DO they get in?) and the atmosphere takes on this air of completion. A lot of people see autumn as a sign of approaching winter, but it is by far my favorite season - and the leaves haven't even started to change colors yet!

Glen is spending his Sunday morning grinding grain for cattle feed and then plans to bale straw off the neighbor's rye field this afternoon. Right after the rains he wasn't doing much oilfield work because of the muddy conditions, but he put in a full week this week. Compared to last summer - when the price of oil was crazy - it has been pretty slow going this year. It is picking up now, but there are some rigs that have only called their crews back in the last two weeks. That's a long time between paychecks. I guess that's why we still have the cattle - it keeps an income flow for us no matter what the whim of the marketplace is doing.