and my mother has declared jihad against the weeds in the garden. At this point I'm happy to let her do it: she hasn't had a garden to fuss over in years, and it always made her really happy to dig around in the dirt, so as far as I'm concerned she can knock herself out.

Oh, do let her. When I was trapped in an apartment, I was desperate to get my hands on anyone's garden.

Your work hours are... are... I'm speechless.