Show c Hey Culligan Man Spring Is Here Jim Culligan In the Latin countries its it's Primavera in France its it's Printemps Printemps Printemps and in Germany Fruehling Fruehling Frue but regardless of National National National Nat Nat- ional differences we all know that Spring is upon us Life on onEarth onEarth onEarth Earth is so intimately connected connect connect- ed with the Sun that men have built their customs habits and even religions around the ebb ebband ebband ebband and flood of the sunlight Spring means many things to people but to the suburban husband husband husband hus hus- band it means the beginning of ofa ofa ofa a nine months of relentless warfare warfare warfare war war- fare against weeds worms and weather no matter how urban urbanand urbanand urbanand and sophisticated a man may be If he is a nuclear scientist or a doctor of Physics o 0 n weekends he becomes a dirt farmer For many this concern with lawns and shrubs and flowers is therapeutic a sort of horticultural horticultural horticultural horti horti- cultural umbilical cord tying them to the distant part of the race Getting down on ones one's knees and digging in the soil is such a drastic change from programming a computer or operating a milling machine that many consider the change as a brief vacation from our all- all devouring technological soci soci- ety Most of us Im I'm afraid do donot donot donot not take such a philosophic view but rather approach the ther r 7 gardening chores like a convict convict convict con con- vict approaching a Siberian salt mine The thought of another nine months of spraying weeding weeding weeding weed weed- ing cutting planting digging and chasing off dogs with excretory excretory excretory ex ex- ex- ex designs on your property property property pro pro- perty is almost powering over-powering and makes us look back affectionately affectionately affectionately on cold barren winter and up piled-up snow as a period of temporary Utopia Logically the work should be delegated to a skilled professional professional professional gardener But two things militate against such a simple sane solution First the financial financial financial finan finan- cial pressures of our times limes make it difficult enough to pay for critical services such as medicine and shelter and government government government gov gov- without adding any services which might be conducive conducive conducive con con- to rest and recreation Secondly the pressures of society society society so so- which demand that a man keep up the image of domestic concern for appearances and that he join his fellows on summer summer summer sum sum- mer weekends in the and prove that he is talented talented talented tal tal- tal- tal and creative in the care and feeding of lawns His docor docor doc- doc or will tell him that it is good for his health and muscle tone toneto to do the gardening thing although al although although al- al though the golf courses on weekends seem to have a predominance predominance predominance pre pre- dominance of medical men freed from the necessity of gardening gardening gardening gar gar- dening by an expanding in income income income in- in come in great part derived by byh h healing e a l I i n g the sprains cuts breaks and near-amputations near of his gardening neighbors So must not grumble on with the levis and the old gardening shoes and gloves and forward shovel in hand to that Summer Wonderland of Aphids bugs crabgrass DDT DOT and the whole alphabet of gardening delights right down to flower sprays |