I’ve been watching my lawn like a hawk this fall, cheering on the little seedlings as they poked through the new soil. I was a little late in getting the grass seed planted, so it only got about two mowings before going dormant, and the newest patches still look painfully young and fragile out in the cold. Still, they are standing green and resolute, determined to hang in there until spring.

I’ve been traveling a lot, so my lawn renovation has happened in concentrated spurts, sometimes a little hurried. For the seed and fertilizer, I used a hand-crank spreader, which means that the only thing between me and a perfectly-planted lawn was, well, me. I have to laugh when I look out my office window and see two distinct shades of green striping my back yard – I remember that day, and I was working as fast as I could to beat the approaching dusk. However, when I think back six months to a “yard” of freshly-bulldozed red clay, I’m not bothered in the least by the imperfections. I’m just thrilled with the green-ness of it all, and yes, I do sit outside on nice days just to see if it grows a little.