Mowing in the Meadow

Would have been nice to have got something else done this weekend other than mowing the friggin' lawn... but if I had to get ONE thing done - that was it, people!

It had been 3, count 'em, 3 - weeks since it had first started looking like it was needing a cut. . . and the prairie'd had 2 or 3 storms thunder through since then! YIKES! This stuff grows quick when it's being watered regular like that.

Problem? NO lawn mower... and this is stupid, but I had one in Arizona, of a places, for a postage stamp size of a yard. Unfortunately I let it go at a rummage sale, when I was paring down on possessions to move back to this native soil of mine.... I think I sold it - hell, maybe somebody stole it? I get those 2 confused all the time, as I've had quite a few treasure just do the "disappear act" on me... Dang I'm digressing... Now here I am moved in to Grandma's old place (13 acres! Thank God I don't have to mow all 13 acres!) and me with no mower... being a "renter" all these years, my landlords either took care of the yardwork or lent me their mowers. Sooo I start forming a plan. A- call "Aunt Pill" ask her... she's just up the road. That came up short as she said hers was in the shop... and I got to thinking, that hers was a rider and I'd rather get the extra exercise and push mow if I can.... (of course if I was looking at all 13 acres I'd change my mind in a Hot minute... doncha know it?) Plan B - call "Uncle D" Love this guy... he's a connoisseur / collector of handy / junky stuff like lawn mowers... NO luck there... (sorry I got a load of them but they all need to be taken to the iron salvage - not a one of them is a working model) Best part of the conversation was the part were I got to tell him about the guy on Coast to Coast radio who had a theory that George W. Bush is really a LIZARD! (I didn't personally hear that broadcast - The Queen of Panic told me about it.) Heheheeee.... "Uncle D" is a die-hard Bush fan, to the point where he'll get down right "fluffy" with anyone talking other wise. It was worth the call just to rattle him up a bit even if I didn't get my hearts desire there. Plan C - call Rock. "Sure Dorko. I've got 2 mowers. One of them's an electric, you can have that one if you want."
An Electric!??? This is too rich. That's what Grandma had back in the day when Mother used to drag us all out here for tag team mowing... we kids hated it. Now it looked like a good source for reminiscing with my brother as he got me "plugged in" Saturday morning. Thankfully we have an over abundance of HD extension cords in my family! So he sets me up carefully explaining the "On" switch, and the clippings catcher, and reminding me that it's not good to mow over the electrical cord. (said he did one time and got a nice shock for his effort! Love it when the big guy shares stories on himself like that! LOL)

So I get started in the shade and it's cool enough to warrant a sweater out there and it's tall enough that I know I've got the entire day ahead of me with push forward a few inches, let 'er munch it down, push forward... munch down... , whip cord out of the way, etc... wasn't long and I was stripping out of the stupid sweater! My heaven I got filthy out there... You know when you run outta grass and you're on to rough terrain getting into the weeds - out by the highway and then the mower alternately begins to high center and dig in? Like it's got a part time job roto-tilling now? Crap. I think I'm still tasting grit in between my teeth. (& I'm perty faithful with my flossing folks) Worked hard all the day and only got 97% of the front done... Did get to see some of my veggies are starting to sprout, though and found a great big stash of catnip for Dr. Suess... (my cat) who was smart enough not to be "out-there" stalking big game in the tall grass at the same time I was trying to knock it down with the mower. I'll have to clip some of that catnip for my furry little friend... and the day was cool and delightfully breezy. And I had plenty of time to ponder life as we all know it to be while I was going about my business. I'm telling you all (still!), I'm a blessed child! Didn't think I could guzzle enough water once I switched off the mower that evening. I was down right parched and a bit rubbery. I slept better that night than I had all week long. [beams brightly at her monitor]

DayII - got a little more problem-matic as I figured out the difficulty with the car port light went deeper - to the outlets - 1 of which goes to the septic sump pump. (See? Blessed,- figured out that bad, bad deal before I discovered nasty stuff backing up into the basement & screwing up my stuff down there!) anyways... the "meadow grasses" were twice as long in the "back 40" as they were in the front... I'll be darned if that mower didn't just begin making fancy "crop circles" rather than munch the stuff down... and whenever it did finally bite some off to chew - why then I'd have to empty the clippings hopper once for every 2 passes over the length of the yard. Chit. Slow going does not even begin to describe my torture! Yet I felt like I had the best possible ambience while I was "out there" wrestling with this monster mow job.... the day was overcast = easy on the eyes & it also pops the color out so things are a bit more enjoyable just to look at and even though it was threatening rain again - it held off until I was completely done... then there was that cool breeze - not windy mind you, just a constant cooling breeze that you couldn't even pray for if you wanted to because it was just that darned perfect as a refresher for the job at hand... I'd have had to make it 3 days maybe if I had been struggling in 80 to 90 degree heat! Then as I trimmed in, up by the house I got the smell of sweet spearmint all over me and the mower! I'd forgotten Grandma had planted that all around the house at one time... (Hint for you country folks, mice don't like mint. Makes a good buffer planting around your homes and out buildings). So my favorite tennis shoes are now a lovely grass-green color and I felt beat up by the 1st mow job of the season - I can rest easy that it won't get that bad again (I won't let it!!!!). Now I'm wondering if I can make up some tea outta that spearmint out there? hummm... Hope you all had a better weekend than this! Love and Love some more and Cheerios2U!