Doctor’s Orders
UPDATED – July 2025
Back in high school, I jacked up my shoulder playing baseball. My mom hauled me to the doctor, who checked it out, gave me some pills, handed me a long list of stretches and exercises, and told me to take two weeks off.
Naturally, I did none of those things.
A few months later, still hurting, I went back. The doctor asked:
“Did you take your meds?”
“No.”
“Do the stretches?”
“Nope.”
“Rest it like I told you?”
Still playing shortstop, Doc.
He just looked at me, smirked, and said,
“Well, that’s why your shoulder still hurts.”
He was right. The guy gave me the plan—I just didn’t follow it.
Fast forward to now, and while I’m not a doctor (and I don’t even play one on TV), I sometimes feel like that guy when I’m talking to customers about their lawns.
We put together a full lawn care plan. We leave notes. We send out Cary’s Corners. We shoot you texts and emails. We explain watering, mowing, seeding, fungicide, insect pressure—you name it. The goal is always the same: give you the best lawn possible.
But here’s the truth: if you don’t follow the plan… don’t expect great results.
We’ve learned that Midwest weather can throw curveballs (trust me, I’ve dodged a few), and sometimes even when you do everything right, Mother Nature still has the upper hand. But most of the time, if your lawn isn’t thriving—it’s not the products, it’s not the program…
…it’s the skipped watering, the short mowing, the bare spots that didn’t get seeded, or the grub control you said “maybe next year” to.
So if your lawn is hurting—check your lawn care prescription. Then actually follow it.
Doctor’s orders. 😉
— Cary Carlson
ClassicLawns
417-812-5321
This pic of me is probably the year I jacked up my shoulder.
