Sunday, April 16, 2006

 

Mowing the lawn


It is spring. In fact, it's Easter. That means peach blossoms, the start of daylight savings time, long shadows across the horse farms on Old Frankfort Pike, and others. One special "other" is, of course, mowing the lawn. The first time is always a big production because mowing the lawn is actually the next to last thing I do (before I take a shower to clean up and cool off).

One of the first things I have to do is to find things. This finding things job is repetative. It seems as if, for each of the things I want to do, I have to start by finding things. Maybe the racoons move the stuff from where I put it last, I don't know. Beverly denies being a part of the conspiracy. This year, the most difficult things to find were a bungie cord and an axe. To explain, the bungie is to secure the gas can in the back of the truck so it won't slide around and spill (can't have that at almost $3 per gallon). The axe is for cleaning up a cedar tree blown down in a recent thunderstorm. The cedar tree problem is part of the picking up sticks chore which must be completed before I start mowing.

By the way, there are two things I always know where they are. My leather work gloves and my iced tea glass. I can't work without my iced tea, cold and prepared, at hand ready for a sip. I've been asked why I wear gloves to mow the lawn. You just don't know when you're going to have to clip raspberry or blackberry canes. It's never just simply mowing.

Before I start on the cedar tree, I have to service the mower: change the oil, install a new oil and air filter, put air in the tires (the trailer too), blow all the fall leaf litter off the mower deck, charge the battery, check the blades. The found things include wrenchs, oil pan, funnels, files, a leaf blower, the tire filler attachment for the air compressor, an extension cord, engine cleaner, and plenty of rags.
To be honest, all of this requires a whole day of preparation.




Back to the axe. I need that to clear some of the branchs of the cedar so I can get to it to saw it into manageable sections. Three sections were drug back to what used to be "the burn pile," only nothing has been burned there for about 16 years. I load my pruning saw, pruning shears, and a rake into the trailer and make my way along the fence row collecting sticks. I'm finally ready to mow.

Once the mowing is complete, out comes the string trimmer. This requires finding the gas can with two-cycle oil mixed, the trimmer line, and safety goggles. Good to their word, the Craftsman EZ-Fire was easy even after wintering in the garage.

After my shower, the job is done. The finishing touch is the smell of new-cut grass. I'll close with two things. The bees seem to be back in their hive in the oak tree. Here is the horse farm on Old Frankfort Pike to which I alluded.




This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?