Remembering the Heroes on Memorial Day

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized .

by: Jake Johnson

The word “hero” is thrown around these days a great deal. Usually the word follows some sort of tragic event where individuals did something unselfish to save other people and putting themselves in harm’s way.

Sometimes it’s the guy returning home from war with a chest full of medals and ribbons or the unit coming home from a year long deployment with signs saying “Welcome Home Heroes!” being waved in the crowd.

Then there are the men and women who returned home, but in a box covered by an American flag carried by solemn men in uniform back to their hometown to be laid to rest. Laying under that flag, they will be driven down roads they probably used to cruise in high school on summer evenings looking for trouble or just something to do. However, on this final trip through town, the roads are lined with people paying tribute to someone who made the ultimate sacrifice.

That sacrifice is what separates something heroic from a hero. A true hero is someone whose story is no longer being written. The heroes we are remembering today had their story cut short, and did so for you, me and for their country. They didn’t do it for glory, or honor or even politics. As soon as that first bullet flies overhead in combat, all the things we think important in life are stripped away and we are left with only the things which are most important.

Be it race, politics, religion, social upbringing, financial status; none of it mattered over there. We leaned upon each other for strength and fought as one force against evil and for those who could not fight for themselves. We were a microcosm of the America that so many have given their lives for before us. An idea of what America was, can be and still is. As long as we have young men and women like the ones that I fought with that believe in that idea of America, she will continue to live on through the generations.

You see, those are the real heroes to me. Myself and those of us that came home from war aren’t heroes, no matter how brave or courageous we fought to earn the medals we wear. We smile and thank anyone if they refer to us as such, but inside we feel a tinge of guilt.

We aren’t heroes, I’m sure not at least.

I’m still going to make selfish choices from time to time. I’m going to let down my wife, my family and my children at some point.

I will let down my fellow brothers that came home by not calling and keeping up with them enough now that we are scattered across the country, some still overseas fighting a war we have all forgotten about.

But ultimately, I will let down the guys that gave their lives so that I would be able to still make these selfish choices.

The memory of what they gave is my daily reminder that it is our responsibility to them to build upon this great idea of American Life. Their final choice was one completely pure and completely unselfish, to give the one thing that you can never get back.

A real hero is someone who has given that life and laid it upon the altar of freedom as Abraham Lincoln once wrote, “so that others may live under that blanket of freedom.”

To me, all of the real heroes are dead.

Today, take time from however you choose to celebrate those lost by taking a moment and thinking about the choice that those heroes have made for us. Celebrate their lives and remember their sacrifices so that we will always know what true sacrifice, and true heroes look like. By doing that this weekend and all the days in between, we can ensure that the real heroes continue to walk side by side with us as we continue to build on the legacy that they have left for us.

NEVER FORGET.

 

IN HONOR OF:

GYSGT CHRISTOPHER H. EASTMAN

SSGT ADAM L. PERKINS

SGT DONALD J. LAMAR

CPL DAANE A. DEBOER

LCPL CHRISTOPHER RODGERS

LCPL FREDERIK E. VAZQUEZ

LCPL JOSHUA M. DAVIS

LCPL KEVIN M. CORNELIUS

LCPL RICHARD PENNY

LCPL THOMAS E. RIVERS JR.

LCPL TYLER O. GRIFFIN

LCPL WILLIAM T. RICHARDS

PFC VINCENT E. GAMMONE

AND

SGT TREY HUFF

Wet Weather and Weeds

Posted by & filed under nutgrass .

Oklahoma native, Will Rogers, famously said, “If you don’t like the weather in Oklahoma, wait a minute and it’ll change.”

So far, 2017 has lived up to that quote and then some! In January, few days ever got above the freezing mark. After that, we thought it was summer with temperatures often in the 80’s.

Resource: ticker.mesonet.org

Now in May, we’ve had more spring like temperatures with nonstop rain.  April set a record for rainfall totals, and May doesn’t appear to be relenting either.  At last look, the 60-day rainfall totals for northeast Oklahoma ranges from 15 to 24 inches.

Rain is good. But too much of a good thing can cause problems.

As we discussed in a previous blog, when the soil becomes water logged, grass roots and other plants have trouble getting the necessary oxygen from the soil – causing the plant to drown. Without oxygen, the grass obviously struggles.  Couple that with temperatures resembling March rather than late May, and it’s easy to see why things are off.

With the increased moisture and cooler temperatures, we also tend to see more weeds.  One of the more common weeds during this time of year is Yellow Nutsedge, commonly known as nutgrass, which LOVES wet conditions.

Thankfully, we utilize a product by the name of Echelon, which helps combat this pesky weed.  Echelon is the only chemical on the market labeled as both a pre- and post-emergent for Nutsedge.  We apply Echelon from early May through late June to help not only control the fast-growing weeds that are

already present, but also kill the nutlet below the surface, which causes nutgrass to spread so prolifically.  As an added benefit, Echelon also helps control many broadleaf weeds, as well as providing extended crabgrass control.

As a full program LawnAmerica customer (6 or 7 step customers), the Echelon application is included in your regular applications.  If you are on a 4 or 5 step program, we can still apply Echelon for an additional charge.  Just give us a call at the office and we’ll get you set up.

What to do about mosquitoes

Posted by & filed under mosquito control .

Mosquitoes are easily one of the most annoying and hated insects. They buzz around seeking out victims to feast on, especially later in the evening when everyone is trying to enjoy time outdoors, in the pool or around the grill.

Unfortunately, there’s a lengthy list of diseases and health concerns caused by mosquitoes ranging from itchy bites, all the way to West Nile, Dengue and Zika. However, not every species of mosquito is a carrier of these dangerous diseases, and identifying which one is flying around your head is difficult, if not impossible.

Instead we recommend our Buzz Off! Mosquito Control Program to help control this pesky problem.  With LawnAmerica’s Buzz Off! Mosquito Control program your property is treated using a combination of two proven insect control products. The combination of these two products safely eliminates existing mosquito populations, while interrupting a mosquito’s reproductive cycle.

This application is applied with a backpack mist blower around the landscape of your home and along the perimeter of your backyard.

In addition to our treatments, it’s very important to follow some basic tips to help eliminate breeding habitats for mosquitoes.  Simple things like keeping your gutters free of debris, removing areas where standing water can accumulate, and refilling bird baths regularly will also help to lessen populations.

If you’re already a LawnAmerica customer with our Buzz Off! Mosquito Control Program, we should be out for your first application soon, if we haven’t been already. However, if you haven’t signed up, it isn’t too late. We still have time to get all four treatments completed so you take back your backyard!

Sign up online or give us a call today!

Click here for tips to help control mosquitoes.

What’s with all the mushrooms?

Posted by & filed under fungal mycelium, mushrooms .

With all the warm and wet weather we’ve been getting lately, we’re beginning to get more calls regarding mushrooms in lawns.

Mushrooms are actually part of a fungus that grows underground and are caused by a mixture of increased moisture, lack of light, and buried organic matter.

The fungus grows by breaking down organic matter such as buried timber, stumps, or roots of trees and shrubs that have been removed.  It’s a natural process that actually helps improve the structure of the soil.

The “toadstools” are most commonly recognized for their flowering structure of the fungus that contains all of the spores. Spores can be spread by wind and water, which helps to establish other fungal colonies.

One of the easiest ways to get rid of mushrooms in your lawn is to mow them and once the soil begins to dry out, the fewer mushrooms you’ll see. Meaning there’s no need to apply a product to your lawn because in most cases mushrooms do not cause any damage.

There are a few cases where mushrooms can be a sign of a turf fungus, rather than a soil fungus.  Although not common in Oklahoma, fairy ring is a disease that can easily be recognized by the arc-like or circular patterns of mushrooms.

The ring pattern is caused by the outward growth of fungal mycelium, which forms a dense, mat-like structure in the soil that decomposes organic matter. This decomposition releases nitrate into the soil, which stimulates the growth of dark green grass at the outer portion of the ring. The fungus may also release certain byproducts that are toxic to the turf, leading to brown or dead turf next to the ring.

Fairy ring is difficult to control. One method of controlling the disease is to dig out the affected areas and replace it with new soil and sod. Another method is to apply turf fungicide. We recommend to just wait for hotter and drier weather, as the problem seems to go away. If the disease is severe enough, we can apply a product labeled for fairy ring disease. But remember that this is only when the mushrooms are found in an arc pattern associated with the turf disease.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Posted by & filed under landscaping and rainfall, plants and rainfall .

What a difference a year makes, or even a month! After dealing with wildfires and burn bans all winter, now we are coming off the wettest month ever for rainfall in Oklahoma, and so far the month of May is putting up some pretty impressive rainfall totals too. So, while it’s good that the subsoil now has moisture, the ponds and lakes are full, and we can save money on our water bills, there are also negative effects of excessive rainfall on plants and turf in the landscape. As with most things, too much of something good can often be just as bad as not enough.

Remember learning about photosynthesis and respiration in science class way back when? I’m a science teacher by trade, as I was a teacher for 8 years before becoming a lawn care operator. So allow me to pull out my old overhead projector and give a brief lesson on how this excessive rainfall can affect your lawns and landscapes.

Plants need oxygen to live, since it is a component of the respiration process in combining with sugars (produced from photosynthesis) to produce water and energy the plant needs for growth. The root system of plants absorbs that oxygen from tiny pore spaces found in the soil. However, when the soil is constantly saturated with water from rainfall, or excessive irrigation, these pores are filled with water and not oxygen. Therefore, this lack of oxygen uptake from the roots can result in death of some of the root system, leading to dis-coloration of foliage, wilting, and sometimes even death of the plant. Certain plants, and plants planted in poorly-drained soil are more susceptible to damage. If you lose plants during this rainy time, you may consider improving the drainage, or changing to a hardier plant. Certain trees can show a color change in leaves, and/or have leaves drop. It’s no cause for concern usually, and with drier weather will go away.

With our unique 70% slow-release nitrogen fertilizer applied back before all this rain hit, our customer’s turf really should be fine, since most of the nitrogen is water-insoluble and not as prone to leaching or washing away as water-soluble quick-release N sources. When the soil stays completely saturated for weeks on end, the turf roots will be damaged, so we’ll need some drier and warmer weather to help the roots recover. Until that happens, most turf will just not look as good as it normally would at this time of the season. However, when the soil stays saturated, the pre-emergent in the soil will break down sooner, so we do expect to be dealing with more weed issues this summer.