A lawn tractor is not a tractor. I mainly drive lawn tractors. That is probably about right for my driving skills. I am not always successful at backing a fertilizer spreader. I have knocked the grass catcher off a couple of times. I have been stuck in loose dirt and high centered. Mostly these things have taken place where other people can see me in my embarrassment. I can only imagine what kinds of things could happen if I spent much time on a full-sized tractor.

In my defense, I have a lot of grass to mow. Also, most farm tasks that require a full-sized tractor are not the obstacle course that lawn-mowing presents, although maneuvering is certainly a useful skill for all.

I can certainly see the value of the bigger tractors. They can do a lot of work that can not be done either way. Perhaps someday my tractor driving skills will improve to where I can "graduate".

Some things that I have learned on the garden tractor: Watch for low hanging limbs, swings and other things that may be out of your main vision as you watch the edge of the mower platform. Not only can you do real damage to yourself, but also the mower or grass catcher can be damaged. Also, you can do damage to the shrub or whatever is above you.

As tempting as it is sometimes, I don’t take passengers and I don’t disconnect the interlocks to allow getting off the tractor while it is running. I read the safety instructions and I am pretty sure that these warnings and interlocks are present for a reason.

I don’t mow when it is wet and I always wear shoes. While those may sound unrelated good tractor for tires and feet are important. Dry grass cuts much nicer also.

I plan my mowing and remove all reasonable obstacles first! It is almost impossible to remove an obstacle while the tractor is in motion. I would say, just don’t go there! Do it the safe way and clear the path first or at least stop the tractor to remove obstacles.

An ongoing project is smoothing out the contours so that I can avoid backing and tight squeezes. Sometimes due to growth of shrubs and other factors, backing, tight squeezes, multiple passes and the like are just impossible. Of course these situations increase the possibility of hitting something such as a fence, a rock or other landscape feature. I haven’t seen a rear-view mirror for a lawn tractor but it wouldn’t be a bad idea. I try to plan my direction of travel to give the grass catcher side more clearance and thus avoid some scrapes and rubs. I also try to check behind me to be sure the way is clear. We all think we know the exact placement of things on the lawn but backing into trees and the like can happen.

Another good strategy is to mow in a very low gear. Not only does this give a better cut but it certainly helps avoid problems. A few seconds with the eyes on the mower deck and watching clearance can translate into several feet of travel and possible contact with some object.

Perhaps someday I’ll feel more confident on a "real" tractor. In the meantime, I am trying to stay safe and not do any real damage. Whether you drive or walk to mow, keep it safe.

Easy to grow and tolerant of dry conditions, what is there not to like about succulents? Some are even nicknamed "life forever". Succulents are especially a great ground cover in a dry climate. Part of the definition of succulent plants, is that they store water in their leaves. Although succulents include cacti, I mainly use the term to refer to those non-spiny types that typically have leaves, which are plump and shiny during the summer. In the winter, the entire plant may seem to shrink and may even appear dead. Some succulents lose their leaves during the winter and regrow them in the spring. The blossoms are often small and not particularly showy.

One of the most common and prolific succulents is called hen and chickens. A friend gave me several to start my rock garden and now a few years later, I also have plenty to share with other gardeners. The "hen" plant grows larger and larger and then sends out runners, each with a "chick" plant which roots down and soon sends out runners of its own. Some are reddish or have other interesting leaves. Since they do not root deeply, they can overgrow stones, walkways and other obstacles, sometimes creating a problem. Of course they don’t actually root into rocks and cement, so they can be peeled off these and transplanted or shared with others. Breaking the runner from the mother "hen" plant almost always results in a viable plant that can be placed elsewhere. Hens and chickens occasionally bloom, sending up a flower stalk with multiple flowers at the top. However, I notice that blooming usually leads to the demise of the mother plant. I am experiment with removing the flower stalks before the blooms actually emerge to see if this keeps the plant alive and thus avoids a bare spot. Conversely, if one plant dies out in a cluster, I can certainly depend upon the surrounding plants soon growing into the space.

Sedums are another group of succulents that are versatile and colorful. Some have interesting leaves with and exotic names as "dragons blood". For others, the flowers are the attraction. While the flowers are small, they tend to form in large masses providing an easy way to have color in your summer yard. They also bloom over a long time period.

Stonecrops are another group that is mainly valued for their texture. In Colorado, they can be found growing wild in the mountains in some areas. Stonecrops tend to stay small, topping out a few inches. A variety of leaf forms provides the textures.

What these all have in common is shallow roots, making for easy transplanting, low water usage and hardiness, being able to survive with little care. Occasionally aphids are attracted to succulents. Otherwise, almost nothing bothers them and they are usually disease free. About the only problem you might have is the over proliferation, such as in the hens and chickens.

If you are having trouble keeping flowers alive, either due to challenging growing conditions or perhaps not enough time for watering and care, consider some succulents. Gardening challenges resolved!

Along with flowers, birds and insects, spring brings spiders. I know. There is an ick factor or maybe even a terror factor for some. I don’t want a spider on me and I consider that all of them are to some degree poisonous. After all, that is how they get their prey. If it can paralyze an insect, it can cause a nasty welt or worse for me. But without touching them, there are some fascinating ways to study them. Every spring, I see nests of yellow spiderlings. I looked this up on the Internet and others report similar, but somewhat different nests. The tiny ones that I find are yellow with brownish legs. Clearly they don’t all survive or I would see a huge number of one type of spider and I could better identify the particular species by the adults.

What I first see with these is a suspended mass of yellow, perhaps as large as a golf ball in shrubs. As the weather warms, the "ball" expands as the spiders move away from each other. On cooler days, the "ball" contracts again. Eventually they all dissipate to find their ways in the world, or perhaps find themselves to be lunch.

The most fascinating spiders, for me, are the jumping spiders. They really work for their meals by hiding in cracks and other hidden locations to leap out and snare a fly or other insect. I have seen them dragging flies nearly as large as their own bodies. They also will stalk flies in the open, such as on a glass windowpanes. I wish that I could show pictures of one catching a fly, but I have not actually gotten that photo yet!

I watched one stalk a fly on a window and the fly seemed to want to tease the spider. Perhaps it had a death wish. The spider would pounce at it and the fly escaped more than once only to light again near the spider. When I looked away for a moment and then looked back, the spider had the fly in its clutches.

Besides their habit of jumping, these spiders can be identified by their large heads that you can sometimes see them turn to look at you or their prey. Some of them are rather hairy in appearance. I know that is an ick factor! Their long front legs and large head rather de-emphasize their back legs, which are actually the ones that give them the ability to jump.

The jumpers do spin silk lines and apparently use them as safety tethers when on ceilings or on vertical surfaces. Occasionally they can be seen dropping down on a line.

The females, like many egg laying life forms can become quite large before laying eggs. I have seen their spiderlings as well, but they are very tiny and I only found them by looking near a previously large female spider and her little web nest.

I can’t really say that jumping spiders do not bite but, I have never been bit by one so I tolerate them. Of course, they are much more interesting to watch than an orb spinner sitting in its web for hours. If a spider in the house is alarming, they can be carefully transplanted to the outdoors where they generally live well.