Yesterday, I helped trim bushes at the condo. A lot of bushes. I've never done this before. Someone hands you a clippers and says "Go to it."

I had visions of doing it wrong. What if I pulled the branches away to find that I left a giant dent in the bush? Or was I supposed to have a grand vision and shape them into perfect spheres so that passersby would stop and gawk?

Turns out I shouldn't have worried. The bushes were so thick and nasty that I couldn't have taken a chunk out of them. The branches so gnarled that consistent shaping was difficult to achieve. There would be no bush elephants in my future. I did not have a future as a bonsai sensei.

I had to settle for getting the dead branches and mounds of out of control leaves under control. But we did it. And they look...under control. Not pretty, but we'll settle for small victories.

And then we took them to the dump. Not really a dump. A compost pile. I had no idea that Verona had one. It's huge! And in limited quantities, it's free.

Not really an exciting day, but I did discover new skills and new places in my hometown.