What stops me riding my Royal Enfield?

Blame it on the mulch heap in front of the garage door. 

 I haven't been riding my Royal Enfield motorcycle much this summer. Summers in Florida are hot and humid, and this has been a summer for the record books. 

We're retired, so my wife and I have vacationed out of state: in Iceland (!), the Adirondack  Mountains and Montreal. 

I sure can't complain about those cool trips. We're lucky to have been able to take them. But please don't think I have escaped the heat entirely. 

In the summer, in Florida, everything grows. My neighbor hires a guy with a machete to beat back the growth in his yard. I haven't gone that far yet, but I have considered it. 

We don't have a lawn -- too difficult to keep grass alive (the cinch bugs are voracious). But we have everything else that's green. 

My wife has a bit of a green thumb: where there is bare ground, she sees the need for a plant.

Not all survive, but those that do need trimming and weeding, most of which she does.

I tackle the big projects. Trimming the mango tree was a five-day job.

The two big oaks in the yard are beyond me, so we hired an arborist to do them. I asked him to dump the shredded leaves and branches in the driveway. From there I shoveled the heap off to serve as mulch.

It rains at least a bit every day. Wet mulch is not light in weight, but it feels environmentally friendly so I use what nature dumps on me rather than buy it in bags at Home Depot.

There's good weather coming, of course, but probably on the other side of at least a couple upcoming hurricane scares. It's the price we pay to miss out on snow and ice.

In the meantime there are beautiful sunsets, warm waves at the beach and the sound of rain on the roof to console us.

I hope you are making the best of your summer.