The smell of fresh cut grass on a summer day....Ahhh.
At almost sixty one years old, I still love to mow grass.
It satisfies on several levels...
Successful completion of a task.
Leaving something better than you found it.
Using gadgets, mowers, trimmers, blowers, etc.
Getting a little pocket money for your time and effort.
Solving problems. Fixing things.
My earliest memories of mowing grass are push mowing the vacant lot by the Minit Saver when I was about ten. Dad purchased the vacant lot next to his grocery store after the Dug-Out closed. He had plans to put something there. That never worked out.
In the meantime, the grass grew. Dad bought a Murray 5 HP push mower with the big back wheels, from Mr. Roper.
It was my job to mow. With the deck all the way up, it was a bush hog. It clipped the tops off of most any living, or non living thing.
Within a few weeks, I had several yards up and down Wilson avenue to mow. If my memory is correct, I got paid five dollars a yard. The work was enjoyable. I didn't mind pushing the mower on the sidewalk, to the houses, and back to dad's store.
Most of my friends in our neighborhood were older than me, and had jobs. Mowing made me feel older too, because I had my own spending money.
Growing up with mowing...The first mower I remember my dad having, was a Snapper riding mower. It had a single blade, 30 inches across, and an 8 horsepower Briggs and Stratton engine. It looked kind of like this one...
If you popped the clutch in the gravel driveway, the back tires would spin and send rocks flying. If you dumped the clutch in the yard, it would pop a wheelie. It also had a hand brake, and if deployed at full speed, the mower slid sideways as it came to a stop. This adrenaline rush opened pathways in my eight year old mind that should have been left alone for a few more years.
Mom loved to mow as much as Dad did.
She had a unique approach. When plastic insulated cups with a lid were still new and exciting technology, mom had one sitting on a fence post, close to the house.
Somewhere in that conversation, Dad added, "Yeah, that's why you drove the mower into the pond."
Mom would just smile, and not dispute or add to his story.
Another time in the heat of the summer, mom was mowing by the gravel road in front of our house. She cut the blades off and rode as fast as it would go back up to the house. Mom went in, got dad's Colt 22 magnum Buntline Scout pistol. She returned to the spot in the yard, and shot and killed big snake.
Dad loved to mow. Our yard was about two acres. There were five or so more acres of field he mowed sometimes. He wore out a mower about every five years. After the Snapper, he had an Airens, rear engine mower. Then a Murray, a Saber, and finally a couple of John Deere mowers.
The stroke in July, 1988 slowed him down for a year or so. Once Dad got back on the mower, he bought a trailer, and started mowing other peoples yards for free.
So I get it honest.
We mow about twelve yards now.
Will helps me. When he is not available, like yesterday, Josh Cole helped me with eight yards. It was hot, and it was great to have help, and someone fun to hang out with.
Each yard is different, with it's own personality. It's a mental game remembering obstacles, fences, ditches, and staying alert for the unknown. My gadgets are better than anything mom and dad had. They had a pair of manual clippers, and later a corded weedeater. No one back then had a blower.
These days, I have hedge clippers, a pole saw, and fire ant killer with me all the time. Also, two weedeaters, and a zero turn mower. Finally, a back pack blower to clean everything up before leaving.
The money comes in handy when taxes are due in February. City plus county adds up to about two thousand dollars a year. And what we can put back helps when an appliance dies, like our washing machine a month ago. After making sure our 6 year old washer couldn't be fixed, we paid cash for a SpeedQueen.
Mainly, I like leaving things a little better than I found them, and knowing that I started, and finished something.
It keeps me busy and helping people. That fresh cut grass smell stays with me till the next time.
I love everything about mowing, that's the truth.