The fog sidled in quietly and swallowed the neighborhood. The vast expanses seemed to disappear in the gray shroud, allowing only the proximal to be visible. Fog is an interesting atmospheric phenomenon and almost always tricks the eye into believing the fog’s density is greater at a distance than it is at your feet. I seldom feel like I am in the midst of the fog. It is ever elusive and always around the next corner.
Today marks the end of the short cooling respite we experienced yesterday. The fog is already burning off as the clouds dissipate in the sun’s rays. It is humid. Very humid, and this makes me uneasy. Uneasy in the sense that a hot and humid May could only translate to an intolerable, scorching, life-sucking Summer. I don’t like Summer. Well, I don’t like Summer weather, but alas, it is still very much Spring, and Spring usually presents us with a volatile mix of weather – mostly rain, which indeed is a good thing. Most of the time. Rain is of course needed to keep our lawns and gardens growing. It provides much-needed water for the local wildlife, but it can mess up a landscape schedule quicker than you can say rain date.
Some landscaping tasks can be performed in the rain, depending on the severity, but some simply cannot. A water-logged lawn in the pouring rain should not be cut. Grass blades can be torn, wheel marks left, and a general mess created. Above all, the safety of our crews is a top priority. If lighting is visible, we won’t be. We have found in our years of experience that if it’s raining at 7:00 AM, it’s usually sunny by 11:00 AM, so sometimes our crews have to start a bit later. Basically, we are at the mercy of mother nature, and though we cannot control her, we try very hard to work both with her and our customers. The bottom line is we strive to strike a balance between safety, responsible service, and schedules.
“Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger.”
-Saint Basil
Best wishes,
Kim Sweeney