By Joel Vernier
A Mid-Morning nap is a beautiful thing.
It breaks up the day and gets you to lunch with a smile.
As I was enjoying my nap, I felt a tugging on my shoulder: “Joel, you said you would cut the grass when we had a break in the hot weather; today is your lucky day!”
I nodded my groggy head and began to surface to a conscious level. I refuse to cut the grass on a 90-degree day with high humidity. I really don’t like to cut the grass, but I made a commitment to myself that I would not hire a lawn service until my house is paid off if I live that long!
I wondered why lawns have become so important that they often control our lives. Americans did not focus on their lawns until the late 18 Century. Before that, no one spent the weekend cutting, weed whacking, or fertilizing their lawn.
What did they do with their time? According to an article by Pennington, “the History Of Lawn Care,” In the 1700’s England & France began cultivating lawns in garden areas. 1806 President Thomas Jefferson replicated the European lawn styling. In 1830 the first lawnmower was invented. 1940’s dawned the rotary lawn mower. Beginning in the 1950’s lawns became popular.
When I was a kid growing up in Royal Oak, my Dad told me it was my job to cut the grass. We had a yellow push mower that was powered by me! It did not have a grass catcher. It took quite an effort to get the blades spinning around fast enough to cut the grass.
If you gave it a half-hearted effort, it cut the lawn in a half-hearted way.
Dad liked an even cut; if I did not do it right, I was asked to do it again the next day or that night if it was still light out. I have owned a variety of lawn mowing machines in my life. All were gas or electric powered. I have worked with push mowers, self-propelled mowers, and riding mowers. I have driven a tractor with a brush hog to mow the grass.
Currently, I use a cordless self-propelled lawn mover. I have looked at autonomous robot mowers, but my yard is sloped in areas, and it would probably fall over and look like a turtle on its back.
What is incredible is that we have to cut the grass when it gets tall, and we fertilize and water the lawn so it grows faster, so we have to cut it more often.
In one subdivision I lived in, one of my neighbors cut the grass every other day. He was retired, and this was his life! With food prices going up, I was thinking to till the whole lawn next year and plant a “Liberty Garden!”
When I water the garden, at least I will get a return on the investment. I admit I like the look & smell of fresh-cut grass. I really like taking a quick shower after cutting and trimming, then sitting down in my “Comfy Chair” with a cool drink as I enjoy my Mid-Afternoon nap. I’ts a lawnmowing lifestyle!
“Remember, every day is a gift! Some are just a little more fun to open than others. – © Joel M. Vernier 06/26/2022 Author of: “The Guinea Pig In The Freezer.” joelmvernier@aol.com
