This was my yard when I came back from Texas.
Late in the winter, I bought a (gently) used Craftsman self-propelled battery-operated mower as well as a battery-operated Black & Decker trimmer. I haven’t mowed since I was 12, and I have never weedeated. For the past two summers, since I moved here, I have relied on neighbor teenage girls to mow and trim my (vast) yard. It takes the two of them 20 hours to do it. Expensive. But I was busy learning to do so many other things by myself. It was a bit overwhelming. This year, I decided it was time, and I was ready, to take over the yard work.
And trimming.
I come from a sheltered middle class background. Women did not mow in my childhood experience. Often, in fact, even men didn’t mow. There were lawn services for that. I never saw my mother mow. I mowed some one summer when I was 12. I think my dad decided I was more trouble than I was worth, because that was the end of that. After I was married, I never mowed. I never even thought about it. Women don’t mow!
Though occasionally I drove by somewhere and saw a woman mowing and felt a mixture of pity and awe.
Gradually, especially over the past couple of years, that pity completely disappeared, leaving only awe. I want to do that! How can I? I can’t pull start anything. But I want to make my own yard pretty, any time I want, and I don’t want to pay someone else to do it. I got my new (to me) mower, and my new weedeater–both battery-operated and requiring no pull-start, and got ready.
The yard was completely out of control by the time I got back from Texas. It was time to start mowing at least a week earlier, but I was busy with the art and cooking retreat and then I had an unexpected trip. By the time I got back, the yard was crazy and I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. Time to get started.
And it took me a couple of hours to just do the part of the yard around the house and the sides–which is just a small part of what I need to mow and trim–but I did it. And I felt awesome. And limp. And sweating like a pig. But I loved it! It is such good exercise, for my arms and my thighs, especially when pushing uphill (and it is NOT self-propelled uphill).
Because I’m planning to fence in some of the larger areas where a riding mower would come in handy, I’m not planning to get a riding mower. Where I’m using the push mower, only a push mower could be used.
Mowing and trimming feels weirdly addictive. Like a drug. This is my exercise program this summer.
And I’m excited. It feels AMAZING.
We’re not in the suburbs anymore, Toto.
