I’ve got a big lawn that requires maintenance. There’s a lot of raking and mowing involved. Plus, weeding, and weed whacking, and just overall caretaking. It’s safe to say I know my backyard pretty well. I know where the roots come up and stick up, where the bald patches are, where the thick patches are, and how long it takes to mow from start to finish — down to the minute. I’m pretty intimate with my lawn. It knows me and I know it, after all, we’ve spent every spring, summer, and fall together. During the winter, we usually have a break. That’s when the snow comes in and I’m relieved of my duties.
But with spring, we get reacquainted, and sometimes things get weird. Winter is rough on everyone, and everything, including lawns. So when you discover a huge bubble on your lawn after the snow has melted, you know something is up.
In certain parts of the world, spring brings a lot of rainfall. Now, take that precipitation mixed with the melting of snow, and you’ve got yourself a lot of built-up moisture. And for James Callender, this couldn’t be more accurate. After extra heavy rainfall, James’ backyard swelled so much, a massive bubble formed above the earth and below the grass, causing a bouncy pocket of trapped water – a really big backyard bubble.
While it looks fun and bouncy, kind of like a grassy waterbed, unfortunately, it’s pretty detrimental to the grass because the water can’t go anywhere. It can’t be absorbed by either the dirt or the grass and needs to be let go so it can flow down into the less saturated soil.
There’s only one thing to do – release the pressure so the excess water can get out. James, with bare feet and wielding an extra sharp ice pique, approaches the encroaching bubble, saying “I’ve never seen this before in all my life, but apparently, it’s rained so much it’s created a large water bubble in our yard. I’m hoping it doesn’t turn into Noah’s ark because I’m floating away if it does!”
He pokes it a few times, but nothing happens. Concerned that this might be more problematic than he thought, James waddles on top of the bubble – which by the way, looks like a lot of fun! – and gets a better angle to pop it. And oh boy, pop it he does!
Click below to see James burst his giant yard bubble!
