June 10, 2008 | Filed under: country mouse, misadventures
The only thing less interesting than watching grass grow is watching it get cut, unless you grew up in the city and never mowed a lawn in your life. THEN it’s pretty damn exciting!
Brian is in charge of lawncare (and by “lawncare” I mean just mowing because it’s not like we’re fertilizing or watering or anything), but I’m home more often so I needed to learn how to use the mower. The front gets really scraggly after a couple of days, and luckily it’s flat and I can manage it. This is the side yard, there’s a little more to mow in front of the house, too. I’m thinking of planting a bunch or stuff there so there’s less to mow. The back yard is simply too hilly for me to even think about mowing. Brian can do it, but I’m too scared that the mower will slip back and slice off all my toes.
I have no grace with the lawnmower, no rhythm and basically no skills.
I can barely start the damn thing.
June 10, 2008
@ 10:59 am
There’s nothing like the smell of gasoline, freshly cut grass, shredded organic clumps & summer!
June 10, 2008
@ 4:04 pm
Hehehe.. love it!
June 10, 2008
@ 7:17 pm
you looked wore out!! what was the side yard, like 2×4
June 12, 2008
@ 9:20 am
The mower was just waiting for you to flip it the bird.
June 13, 2008
@ 6:38 am
Well be careful…and good luck to you…..If you want to replace grass with somekind of groundcover - there are many HERBS that serve. Some don’t grow too tall and all are easy to cut back. There’s a book about it somewhere out there (I ordered it from Edward Hamilton Bookseller years ago, gave it to Lucian - or you can google ‘using herbs as groundcover.’ There’s also a book with a title like : Planting for Lasagna in your front yard……xoxoxox, Z.
June 13, 2008
@ 10:49 pm
the first mow of the year is always the crappiest. Cute yard.
June 14, 2008
@ 9:29 am
starting those mowers is the worst.
i always have trouble with them too. it’s like my arm is simply not strong enough.
grass be damned!
June 15, 2008
@ 5:52 pm
franciso has it right: “There’s nothing like the smell of gasoline, freshly cut grass, shredded organic clumps & summer!”
you could go electric, but it just wouldn’t be the same “experience” without the noise and the smell of gasoline and fresh cut grass.
Have you got the grass stained shoes to go with it. Thems the best.
June 16, 2008
@ 7:05 pm
I’m suffering the same rude shock.
I’m hiding downstairs in the basement, pretending to work so that I don’t have to go out and face all that grass. And that machine. Jesus. Can I go back to London now?
June 20, 2008
@ 10:43 pm
Is it exciting enough for you to travel a little further upstate and cut my lawn? I’ve been doing it since I was 10. It gets old. Quickly.
June 21, 2008
@ 6:01 pm
What about the weed whacker? Or is that the sequel?
June 21, 2008
@ 6:13 pm
Oh, the weed whacker is a separate lesson altogether. It’s Lawncare College.
Then we move onto Tiller University.
June 22, 2008
@ 7:26 am
Hahahaha…I used to have a motorbike like that. Useless for a quick getaway.
June 23, 2008
@ 10:40 pm
Aw, your poor little defeated face right before he tells you to press the red button! It’s the same face I make every time I have to start the jet-pack blower at work.
June 27, 2008
@ 4:22 pm
*chuckle* You go with your bad self!
Hate to tell you this but, at first glance, I thought you had slowed the footage down of you pulling the chord
“Git er done!”
July 2, 2008
@ 9:56 am
AIIIIITE?
clap clap clap Way To GO! Nice Work!
July 2, 2008
@ 2:31 pm
[…] Permalink: http://missbhavens.com/2008/06/10/mow/ […]
July 4, 2008
@ 3:30 pm
Those high pull starters are tough, all arm. I think they’re made for stalky men with short arms.
July 8, 2008
@ 11:26 pm
WOO! You did it! Next time push the damn little red button *first* eh? Well, that’s what I used to do anyway. That was before I quit mowing of course. Now it’s all Gary’s job because I can’t handle the dust and gas exhaust with my asthmatic lungs. There *is* a bright side to having asthma. There’s also a bright side to xeriscaping out here in the Sonoran desert - we aren’t supposed to have lawns.
July 16, 2008
@ 7:01 pm
You are so cute!
I love mowing the lawn, it is so satisfying… rather like vacuuming sawdust…. You really get to see the results of your labor.
July 24, 2008
@ 9:24 am
For a second I thought you were wearing red high heel shoes. Oh, you must! How much fun would that be? Don’t forget to protect those ears!
August 26, 2010
@ 5:47 pm
Fantastic blog.