Mowing the Grass

Today's adventure started in the middle of the day. After getting home from running an 8k I told myself I had to cut my grass before work. The only reason I was forcing myself to do this task is because I feared that my neighbor would cut my grass for me again. Most people think this is really sweet. Which, it really is, however, it always makes me feel bad. In my mind it's more like aww poor girl is working so hard she doesn't even have time to make her yard look like someone lives at her house. This is all actually true, however, for other people to think it makes me a little bit sad inside.

   
So after for short rest I motivate myself enough to get off of the couch and go attempt to mow my lawn. My yard, by the way, is not that big. Half of it isn't really even covered in grass. At this point I'd say 80% of my front yard is covered in clovers. I'm okay with that because at least it is green. However, at this present time, because there are so many white clover flowers my yard looks like it has a light snow has fallen just in my yard.  So their is no option, I must mow the yard today. I must do it before my neighbor does it. 

   
I pull the push mower out from under the porch. I check to make sure it has gas, I push the little ball thing several times to make sure gas goes where it's suppose to. I then pull the little lever together and start to yank on the power cord thing. I do this about 6 or 7n time. I hate pulling that cord. I push the ball thing a few more times, move the mower onto a cement slab, try again. I pull it again a few more times and then start to whine. I know one way to try and get it to start. Pour gas into the carborrator. But, to find a screw driver, pour the gas, and pull that stupid cord again, too much effort. I look around and we for some reason have an Cylinder Reel Mower. That means, the old, old, old school mowers with no gas, just manual strength and some kind of blade at the other end. I say screw it, that will be easier. No, no it wasn't.

I start to push this mower, which is actually cutting the grass, well some of it. It takes the heads off all of the white clover flowers. It makes some of the grass look like it is shorter. However, random really tall grass it does nothing to it. I try different angles and speeds to cut these half foot tall pieces of grass with no success. I think bending down and plucking them out of the ground would have been easier. 

   
I'm pushing this mower all of the place. Up the hill down the hill, over the hill, around the pushes, over the flowers, over the clovers, over an ant hill. The ant hill was a hidden surprise. Here I am just trying to cut my lawn when I step in a place and I'm like wow, that area sure is soft. I look down where my foot once was and the area is just CRAWLING with black ants all over the place. I get bit a few times. As I start to jump at ever little thing that now touches my ankles, I make a promise to these little guys to come back another day and make the wish they'd never bit me. 

   
After about 30 minutes of this i take a water break and then come back out to finish. At this point I'm about 74% of the way through with both the front and back yard. I'm tired, thirsty, and getting frustrated that one tiny little stick and stop my entire mower. Sure, the power mower throws rocks, sticks, bark, and other flying objects a million miles per hour towards your ankles and face, but at least it keeps on moving. At this point my neighbor comes over to tell me he can get my other mower started. I tell him I know how to get it started I just wanted to get the grass a little less tall and this seemed faster. I'll come back next week and try the power mower. He said that would be creating more work for me. I was like eh, it's okay. He then told me to work smarter not harder. I had been working harder. Those manual push mowers are the devil. I have never worked so hard for my front lawn to look so bad. The best way to describe how my lawn looks, is to imagine a 7 year old finding a pair of scissors and that they wanted to trim their hair. Yes, you have it now, all random uneven lengths, patchy, too short in the front, too long on the left side. Yes world, right now my law is a 7 year old's bad hair cut. Tomorrow, I am going to attempt to get it a bit more even using the manual mower, next weekend, I'm taking the 5 extra minutes to get the power mower up and running. Lesson learned.

Follow Up 6-3-12: I should have taken the 5 minutes to take apart the lawn mower, it was a million times easier then the old school push mower. However, I have a greater appreciation for the engine mower. So much so I told it thank you when I was done. Happy Mowing!