One thing I don’t do now that I’m older is mow the lawn.  It’s not that I can’t.  I just don’t want to. 

I used to mow my lawn.  Lots.  In fact, when I was in my late 40’s, I bought an eco-friendly lawnmower – the old kind without a motor that has two wheels, rotary blades, and a push handle. Of course, it wasn’t really the old kind – those were made of wood.  This one was made of metal and plastic.

Rotary Mower

I would push that thing all over the yard knowing that I was helping to keep myself, and the environment, in good shape.  It was cheaper than gas or electric powered mowers, I didn’t have to buy or store gasoline, I didn’t have to worry about running over an electrical cord, and the rotary mower worked great!  Of course, I had to make sure that I didn’t let the grass and weeds get too tall before mowing.  And it did take a little longer – okay – a lot longer sometimes – but using sweat to water the grass saved a huge amount on my water bill.

One day my parents came from out of town to visit, and my father saw me pushing the rotary mower around the yard.  He was mortified that I had not told him I couldn’t afford to buy a proper mower.  I explained that this one was better for the environment and it was healthy for me – and I could save up for a proper mower.  He could not be pacified – which was rather surprising to me since I could remember him using a mower just like it (the wooden kind) when I was a child.  He went out and bought me a gas powered mower.

I couldn’t exactly refuse such a thoughtful gift.  And it did make the job go faster and easier.  My efforts at saving the environment and being healthy went right out the door  – at least regarding lawn mowing. 

It’s just so easy to be bought. (Sigh. . .)

But now I hire a very competent, responsible teenager to mow and edge my lawn.  That works out much better for me at this stage in my life.  (I know – sometimes “responsible teenager” is an oxymoron.  Not this time, though.)

He came over a couple of weeks ago to mow for the first time after the long winter, and it was a disaster!  This past winter, we had more snow storms and more snow than we’ve had before.  Then when it started getting warmer, we had quite a bit of rain.  With all of that going on, the yard was like a swamp, the weeds grew like crazy, and it looked like no one had lived in the house for years.

Responsible Teenager managed to mow the front yard, but he couldn’t get the mower through the side and back yards – partly because the weeds were so dense and partly because the ground was still so soft from moisture.  So he did what any good R.T. would do – he used his weed eater.  He ended up having to weed eat the entire side and back yards.  Poor thing.

The lawn is now under control – Hurray!  And the R.T. even used spray stuff to get rid of some of the weeds.

I can look forward to enjoying a green and groomed lawn again without having to mow it myself.

Hmmm. . .  maybe I wouldn’t mind mowing if there were a real riding mower like this one – and I had it. (Note the mower blade cover under the body of the car.)

Design model of a possible Rolls Royce riding lawn mower