It’s a cool October morning in Phoenix. I don’t know if there is any other city in America that is as excited about autumn as Phoenix. After several months of summer heat, the cool air is giving life back to the city. The sidewalks are packed with people jogging and riding bikes. The outdoor cafe’s are buzzing. It’s just so good to be alive.

Every day I plan on working on nomoho.com to get it back online, but the change of weather has pulled me away from my computer and outside. Working on my landscaping is so healing…I can’t even explain it. It just makes me so happy to make my home a sanctuary. I’ve lived in this house for three years, and I’ve only been able to do work on it in the past year. It’s finally taking shape into something beautiful. I don’ t know…I guess I am tired of having clean websites and a messy home life.

I’ve become fanatic about landscaping. I knew this a week ago, but now I’m just out of control.; Since I got back from Cleveland Sunday morning, I’ve worked on my landscape fro about twenty hours in the dark. I drive my shovel into the ground and I fasten a clamp light to the wood handle. It’s my outdoor spotlight that keeps me going until after 11:00 at night. I think I’m starting to spook my neighbors.

Other signs of my fanaticism is the rate at which I fill up my “green barrel” trash can. The city comes to my curb and empties it out on Thursday morning. By midnight the same day, I’ve already filled it up with grass clippings and branches. I even borrowed my neighbor’s green barrel because I couldn’t wait another week to do more work.

My conversations mostly revolve around landscaping. If I know that a new friend owns a home, I immediately ask him about his landscaping. If I’m at someone’s house for a party, I walk right through to check out the backyard. Visitors to my home can’t leave without taking a tour of my work out back. If I was home when the UPS guy showed up, I’d probably give him a tour too.

This fanaticism about landscaping has caught me completely by surprise. I was raised on a farm, and I spent many years as a kid working in our organic garden. I did it because Dad made me do it, not because I wanted to. I remember knowing a pretty yard when I saw one, but it was never anything I took time to admire.

The only memories of liking plants or trees came from movies. I thought it was cool in “Edward Scissorhands” when the misunderstood town freak sculpted overgrown bushes into works of art. The other movie that had some good plants was “Karate Kid” when Mr. Miagy had some well-shaped bonsai trees.;

I’m laughing at myself because I’ve become one of those guys who gets written up in the community newspaper. You know a caption that reads “Valley Resident Plants Pride in Backyard Sanctuary” and then there’s a snapshot of me crossing my arms with pride as I lean against a well groomed tree.

This concerns me because a landscaping freak is not far from a dog show freak or a Beanie Baby collector.; Shouldn’t I be getting into something more glamorous and distinguished, like sailing or mountain climbing?