Yes, it's finally happened. The inaugural 2009 mowing of the front lawn. Uh, yeah... I know it's the middle of May already. The neighbors and the landlord are quite aware of that too, I imagine. I'm so glad the landlord doesn't get over this way very often.
But, see, there really was an issue. It's the lawnmower. And the whole getting-it-started thing. I DID try previously this year. At least once. And had no luck. So, I thought the gas might be damp, even though it's in the air-tight plastic gas can which is also under a 'roof' to keep the elements out.
I also thought it might be the spark plug. Last year I'd have to pull the stinkin cord a dozen (or more) times before the mower would run. So, after work I pulled the plug and made sure it was dry from oil or water or anything else resembling liquid. I also filed it just a skoch to get rid of any carbon or other buildup that might be preventing a good spark.
Guess what... after a couple pulls of the cord it started and it kept running the first time. None of this fake-out run for a few seconds, die, and then require another several pulls before it KEEPS running. WOW! I shoulda cleaned the spark plug last year!
The front yard only took about a half hour. Over 2 bag-loads went into the yard-waste bin. I'll bet my eastern Washington family (and others) laugh at the concept of yard-waste bins. But I digress...
So, today and/or tomorrow I'll tackle the back yard. It will likely be 3 bag loads as the grass is less-short than it was in the front yard. Ah... but what a relief... I'll bet the mower will start in less than 6 pulls of the cord.
Addendum at around 2:30 Saturday afternoon:
The back yard is now mowed. It was, uh, over 3 grass-catcher loads that went into the yard waste. Well over 3. Let's say, more than 3 and less than 10. Yeah. Whew!
Showing posts with label lawn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lawn. Show all posts
Friday, May 15, 2009
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Acclimation
Apparently I have a heat rash. It's true I'm out of shape, overweight, and (today) hot, plus I must have worn the wrong shirt (not cotton, not natural) to do yard-work in today. At least, that's what I'm reading as I research the multitudinous red bumps on my upper body.
Up to now I'd been thinking how nice it would be to mow the yard again. At my last few residences I haven't had yards, or at least not yards with grass in them. Like, the previous house certainly had space in front of and behind it. But a traditional lawn was out of the question due to 2 major factors: 1) a good portion of the back yard was a concrete slab. 2) the front yard had a lArGE pine tree in it. So large... (how large was it?) it was so large that the needles fell into the front yard, the back yard and the alley out back, the neighbors yards, the street... well, you get the idea. I loaded countless yard waste bins with needles trying to keep up with the tree. Anyway, the acidity of the needles prevented certain plants from growing. Ironically, a number of flowers and bushes thrived.
Oh yeah! Also ironic: After tearing down the old house and rebuilding, the annoying pine tree in the front yard is the one that survived. They ended up cutting down the (maple?) tree in the back yard that we all liked. I'll bet the neighbors are very disappointed. They always had choice things to say about the tree in front.
Anyway, well, a couple houses back I did live in a place with nice lawns but the landlord insisted on mowing them.
So, even though I've been a couch potato for awhile, at least my position at work was keeping me in shape a little bit. If nothing else, I got some walking in and did lots of lifting and carrying and sorting and the like.
Now, I have a desk job again. It's been less than two months, but... I HAVE to start doing stuff. I know that this weekend was a good start. Mowing the yard, front and back, and pulling weeds for a couple hours certainly has me feeling my age. Maybe it's a good wake-up call.
The original point of this message was going to be about mowing the yard. As I mentioned, it's been years since I've mowed on a regular basis. In fact, not since my teenage (and younger) years has it been a habit. I remember the ugly old blue push-mower we had. Rather fondly, in fact. The most important thing to dad was that it had a Briggs & Stratton engine. That used to be the brand to look for. There was no grass-catcher. That was a luxury for other people, not us. We just aimed the exiting grass to the center of the yard and kept mowing around and around in a square shape so the grass was always aimed toward the center. Besides, the cut grass was good mulch for the living grass, right?
Voila! I've just answered myself. Previously I was pondering why I'm in the habit of mowing the lawn as a big square (see above) rather than going back and forth (in only two directions) until it's complete. The back and forth method gives you nice, even lines all across the yard. Now that I'm using a mower with a grass catcher it will be a struggle to remember to mow that way.
The neighbor across the street had one of the new (at the time) Honda mowers that could even mow wet grass. I remember being envious of that. But he was a gardener and had a small greenhouse and the whole bit. Their yard was always perfect.
I remember my little brother and I took turns mowing, switching off every other week. Or was it a two-week period in between? Anyway, when he was first old enough to mow, he'd have to push on the lower bar with one hand and the upper bar with the other. It took all his weight and strength to move it, I think.
Anyway, I must confess that this was the first mow of the season. Which also brought back memories. Back in the day we kinda just mowed to keep the crab grass and dandelions at bay. It was a semi-regular occurrence and the 'first mow' was put off longer than the neighbors probably liked. That's certainly the case this year. I was sick a couple weekends ago and busy the past week and kept putting the lawn off. All the neighbors yards are looking slick already.
So, finally, today was the day. The grass catcher couldn't keep up. I emptied it about 3 times between the front and the back yards. Even so, there was still plenty of escaping grass to be raked. (Thank you, roomie, for raking since I'm exhausted!) Then I pulled a few of the largest weeds (some a couple feet high). Our yard-waste bin is full. It's a good feeling of accomplishment. But I'll have to do it (and other activities) more regularly, both for the yards sake and for mine!
Up to now I'd been thinking how nice it would be to mow the yard again. At my last few residences I haven't had yards, or at least not yards with grass in them. Like, the previous house certainly had space in front of and behind it. But a traditional lawn was out of the question due to 2 major factors: 1) a good portion of the back yard was a concrete slab. 2) the front yard had a lArGE pine tree in it. So large... (how large was it?) it was so large that the needles fell into the front yard, the back yard and the alley out back, the neighbors yards, the street... well, you get the idea. I loaded countless yard waste bins with needles trying to keep up with the tree. Anyway, the acidity of the needles prevented certain plants from growing. Ironically, a number of flowers and bushes thrived.
Oh yeah! Also ironic: After tearing down the old house and rebuilding, the annoying pine tree in the front yard is the one that survived. They ended up cutting down the (maple?) tree in the back yard that we all liked. I'll bet the neighbors are very disappointed. They always had choice things to say about the tree in front.
Anyway, well, a couple houses back I did live in a place with nice lawns but the landlord insisted on mowing them.
So, even though I've been a couch potato for awhile, at least my position at work was keeping me in shape a little bit. If nothing else, I got some walking in and did lots of lifting and carrying and sorting and the like.
Now, I have a desk job again. It's been less than two months, but... I HAVE to start doing stuff. I know that this weekend was a good start. Mowing the yard, front and back, and pulling weeds for a couple hours certainly has me feeling my age. Maybe it's a good wake-up call.
The original point of this message was going to be about mowing the yard. As I mentioned, it's been years since I've mowed on a regular basis. In fact, not since my teenage (and younger) years has it been a habit. I remember the ugly old blue push-mower we had. Rather fondly, in fact. The most important thing to dad was that it had a Briggs & Stratton engine. That used to be the brand to look for. There was no grass-catcher. That was a luxury for other people, not us. We just aimed the exiting grass to the center of the yard and kept mowing around and around in a square shape so the grass was always aimed toward the center. Besides, the cut grass was good mulch for the living grass, right?
Voila! I've just answered myself. Previously I was pondering why I'm in the habit of mowing the lawn as a big square (see above) rather than going back and forth (in only two directions) until it's complete. The back and forth method gives you nice, even lines all across the yard. Now that I'm using a mower with a grass catcher it will be a struggle to remember to mow that way.
The neighbor across the street had one of the new (at the time) Honda mowers that could even mow wet grass. I remember being envious of that. But he was a gardener and had a small greenhouse and the whole bit. Their yard was always perfect.
I remember my little brother and I took turns mowing, switching off every other week. Or was it a two-week period in between? Anyway, when he was first old enough to mow, he'd have to push on the lower bar with one hand and the upper bar with the other. It took all his weight and strength to move it, I think.
Anyway, I must confess that this was the first mow of the season. Which also brought back memories. Back in the day we kinda just mowed to keep the crab grass and dandelions at bay. It was a semi-regular occurrence and the 'first mow' was put off longer than the neighbors probably liked. That's certainly the case this year. I was sick a couple weekends ago and busy the past week and kept putting the lawn off. All the neighbors yards are looking slick already.
So, finally, today was the day. The grass catcher couldn't keep up. I emptied it about 3 times between the front and the back yards. Even so, there was still plenty of escaping grass to be raked. (Thank you, roomie, for raking since I'm exhausted!) Then I pulled a few of the largest weeds (some a couple feet high). Our yard-waste bin is full. It's a good feeling of accomplishment. But I'll have to do it (and other activities) more regularly, both for the yards sake and for mine!
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