Page 34 2026 Spring Home and Garden LINCOLN DAILY NEWS April 2026 MAXimizing Life with Maxine McQueen Now ‘Tis Spring It’s the first of April and I am craving being out in the yard planting flowers. I can’t wait to get my hands in the dirt, feel the sun on my back, and forget everything except for potting, seeding, and making my yard pretty. I had to accept the fact that my husband is in Glory and will not be able to garden with me this year. Over the decades, we really became good at knowing exactly which one of us could do what outside. He was the one to fertilize, seed, weed, mow, edge, etc. all the grass. He raked the leaves and bagged and carried city bags to the curb. We had it in our marriage vows he would parallel park for me and carry heavy objects. In return, I vowed to only drive Fords forevermore and grow flowers in our yard. Actor Tim Allen, “My mom said the only reason men are alive is for lawn care and vehicle maintenance.” I’m not sure about that, but my Mac certainly lived up to Tim’s mother’s expectations. I planted flowers, weeded the beds, beheaded, watered, trimmed, and loved the plants and flowers. This year brings new complications. I’m not sure I can do it all, but I love this unknown quote, “Flowers grow back, even after they are stepped on. So will I.” Author, Alexander Den Heijer, “When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” That’s a heavy quote if you equate it to people. I will do that, but this season I will apply it to myself as well as my garden. Our yard gets dead spots that Mac would meticulously nourish, tend, and make a wonderous green matching the rest of the yard. I’m thinking I will go down to the hardware store and see if they have spray paint the color of our grass and spew colorant upon the brown spots. Perhaps people won’t notice from the street. William Shakespeare said, “Now ‘tis spring, and weeds are shallow-rooted: suffer them now and they’ll o’er grow the garden.” I’ve already been out pulling crab grass/ water grass out of my flower beds. It still astounds me how long the roots are. Some of them creep to be a foot long already. Nature is amazing. Yes……I pulled weeds before I even started to school, but each spring I’m pleasantly surprised by the wonder of nature. Speaking of crab grass, I can’t pass up to opportunity for this quote from Charles M. Schulz, “Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life.” Bahahahaha! This year, the spots furthest from the water spigot will sport faux flowers. The hose is getting heavy, and the back is becoming weak. But my love of plants, flowers and foliage
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