Spring Cleaning

Depending on the weather where you live - it may be time for a little spring cleaning.

Likely, however, that neither of us are as particular as professional groundskeepers.

The group of 15 - 20 in Miller Park rake after batting practice to be sure the dirt is looking good and without any imperfections.  Even the guy here at the bottom of the picture is tasked to make sure the 'lines' left by tarp put down for fungo practice won't be seen by fans in the stands or on TV.

Every three innings, they appear again.  Flying in like a squadron on a mission for a quick once-around the infield to replace bases and smooth the dirt so no 'bad hops' will affect the game's outcome.

The only time I came remotely close to that was when we lived on a parade route in north Wisconsin and after the parade, I enlisted the boys to help pick up the trash and the horrifically icky cigarette butts left behind.  Otherwise, I always felt any color close to green was pretty good for my lawn.  In a ballpark, the grass is grown so well and so thick, that weeds can't even get a toehold for the slightest root!

As we clean our homes, basements, garages, flower beds, and yards this spring... try to enjoy the experience.  Put down the rake long enough to enjoy a phone call while resting on the pristine lawn, or take a moment to notice the flowers shooting through the soil to add some color to your home.

Be careful not to do too good of a job - first, it could come to be expected and raise the expectations you're under to impossible heights, and second, you aren't getting called up to the major leagues anyway - so relax after you get the job done the first time!