A new season in more ways than one.

Today marks the first time mowing the lawn this year, so it finally feels like spring is here. 

There was one year when the first mowing was during the last week in February, but only one that I can remember. Most of the time it is sometime in March. This year we are already in April.

Before I could start I had to deal with a flat tire on the front of our riding mower. It was so flat the bead was broken.

I learned the meaning of the bead being broken when I was a sophmore in college and some unnamed pranksters pushed my car in front of the Adminsitration Building before letting the air out of the tires. Maintenance was going to air them up for me so that I could drive it away, but...the bead was broken.

So now, what that means to me is that this is a problem someone else will have to fix for me.

Usually that would be Chuck.* 

But we are in a new season right now in another way. 

Three and a half weeks ago we found out Chuck has some kind of brain injury, and after a trip to the emergency room, an ambulance ride to Wesley Medical Center, and nearly a week in the hospital, we are in a new season of our lives. 

Right now, having a brain injury means that Chuck needs a lot of rest. When he gets overtired, he can't think clearly. He isn't able to push through. He just has to sleep.

So...when I discovered the tire was flat, and that I couldn't air it up, I came inside to ask Chuck what he would do. He had done several things outdoors already today, and needed to rest again, so I knew either I'd have to learn how to fix this myself, or put off the mowing.

He said he usually puts some kind of belt around the tire and pulls it tight enough to force a seal. Then he adds air to the tire, and then releases the belt to finish building up pressure in the tire. I went to the closet and found my belt and headed out.

As you can see, I was successful.

There were areas of the yard that were never mowable last summer due to the frequency of the rains. Today those areas were dry enough that I could mow them. So one perk of mowing today was finding the disc golf disc Chuck has been searching for.

It was so flat to the ground that the mower blades did not even knick it, so both Chuck and I were happy about that.

It was good to be out mowing again, listening to podcasts, watching the yard change from rough to groomed. It was good to be doing something I know how to do.

With this new season of learning how to manage while healing, there is a lot of guessing. If Chuck gets too tired, it means that he will be feeling the effects the next day, so it is important for him to get plenty of naps. But he also really does better if he gets out of the house, if he is able to work a little bit, and if he gets to talk with other people besides me. If he gets the right amount of rest and activity, then everything is good. Too much and it is hard for him to think clearly. Beyond that and he will be paying for it for a couple of days. So right now we are doing a lot of noticing what is enough, what is too little, and what is too much. With the injury, he is a bit more impulsive, which means he has to rely on my judgement sometimes about when to take breaks. So that is a new dynamic for us to navigate as well.

Also I'm the designated driver for a while.

With the injury coming at this season of the year, we have needed a lot of help on the farm, and will need even more as summer field work commences. It's humbling to need so much help. It's even more humbling to be so well cared for. 

*He has approval/veto rights over anything I write that includes him.