A lovely garden requires work, even if it’s only keeping constant growth in check. My soul garden is framed by many hedges and plenty of bird-loving ivory that need annual trimming to prevent a jungle. Trouble is – I’m not my strong young self anymore. I used to shift heavy objects and wield electric tools on high ladders. My ardent spirit still feels up to such tasks, but these days I’d be foolish not to accept the limits of my body, which I call ‘ little palace’ and give thanks to every day.
I berate myself, ‘stop acting like super woman,’ … easier said than done.
Other skills are needed, like how to find trustworthy helpers with intelligence and imagination, who respect a vulnerable person’s need? I employ a reliable trades team for the once a year hedge cutting, but finding someone for the occasional help is a challenge.
I asked my local council once, if they can recommend a person to do the occasional gardening. They sent me an octogenarian, wobbling precariously on a high ladder, with his 12 year old nephew to help. They did a terrible job at a price way above any professional landscape firm.
Opportunists are plenty, though my local repair café, staffed by volunteers, proves to me there are generous people out there, with amazing skills, offering to fix things. I dearly bless them.
Finding genuine help is something that concerns many of us, at one time or another, women and men. The world is not geared for the redundant, or the in any way disadvantaged.
Just wondering, dear reader, if you rely on support for strenuous manual jobs, if you’re not swimming in money, how do you deal with getting practical help?
Course of Mirrors 
Do I hear my wife talking?! Sorry, I have no idea about Gartenpflege; I might only mow the lawn occasionally. But I know what you mean and how hard work it is, and a twelve-year-old boy can’t be a help in the least! Actually, we spared some money and called for an expert to cut and arrange the small garden, even though it did not belong to us, and we are just tenants in the house. In any case, I totally appreciate your efforts as the superwoman.💥💖🥰
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Thanks 🙂 Small, opportunistic contractors seem offended when I tell them I can cut the grass myself and just need help with keeping excessive growth in check. They want the whole job throughout the year.
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That isn’t good! Here, one can organize someone to take action to clear the problem🤔💖.
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How?
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My wife has the key! She asks her family or friends if someone knows somebody, and we find one. However, it mostly goes to Schwarzarbeit, as you know what I mean!😁😅
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So beautiful. My garden needs tlc, got to get out there! x
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Yes, we may all need help no matter our age, condition, predicament. Meantime, stuff grows, in and out, and who is to help clear away? The small contractor may also feel in need of help if they rely on skills, tools, jobs for their livelihood. They must pay for license, insurance, business owner fees and taxes, hauling and debris disposal costs, and their own help wanted needs. They want patrons, not just random or occasional customers. As for the 12 year old, when I was 12 there were a bunch of us cut grass for cash, pulled weeds, hauled cans to curbs, but I don’t know how many of us went on to become arborists. And there’s another rub, here, anyway, the cost for the licensed and bonded arborist to come have a look and turn the patch into garden and keep it looking that way while nature wants to reverse course versus the guy with a pickup truck and trailer with mower and cutters who like the tinker of old may or may not still be around when you need them next year. The worse for wear is finding medical help, physical or mental, not to mention plumbing and electrical, heating and air cooling, roofing and painting, oil change and tire rotation, never mind the window washing, since the eyes are withering anyway. But I digress. As for the yard, one idea that has worked here, though it has to be renewed each year: a collective of neighbors who hire and rely on one yard help provider, who, because he can come in and do several jobs in essentially one location, as he moves closely from neighbor to neighbor, is able to provide a kind of group discount. But I’ve noticed that some us no longer shave daily and even when we do not that closely, and the hair, the hair, though some consider it lucky to still have some, looks more and more like a briar-patch every day! Well, I could ramble on some more, but as it happens today’s the day I’ve got to do some yard work, with old hands and old tools. I hope you won’t mind if I disregard the dandelions. I’ll be thinking of you as I consider further what to do with all the storm and ice and snow damaged growth from the worst winter ever recently ravaged this urban side. If I were there, I’d help. But then you’d just have another old dude wobbling on a wobbling ladder. It’s probably too late for us, but maybe AI (Artificial Intelligence) will solve the problem. Seems to be what everyone is turning to these days. But you can also just Let it Grow! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqvD4NC-s9E
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I get what you’re saying. During the pandemic I gave up insurance, membership fees and online platform costs, relinquishing the professional requirements for my decades of therapy work.
And since everything is regulated these days, I appreciate there are reasonable costs involved regarding any respectable business.
Neighbour hood schemes sounds good, though it doesn’t find traction ’round here., where everyone minds their own business.
Thanks for your kind thoughts, wish you were my neighbour 🙂
Best luck with your yard, and dealing with the worst winter damage in your area for years.
AI – forget it – much too un-grounded for gardening.
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