The Green Mile
In just a few weeks, my daughter will be moving out, and into her new place. I’m sad to see her leave, but excited for her new adventure. She was a big help around the house as we worked together cooking and cleaning. She would grocery shop or run errands when I didn’t have the time. She also took over the weekly lawn mowing chore, once my son had a home of his own. Rats…..it’s now on my list of weekly chores.
A few weeks ago, I figured I better start practicing, since the job would soon be mine. We had heavy rains for what seemed like days and were unable to mow, but with the weed and feed that was spread earlier in the month, it was beginning to look like I might have to bale it……(it’s the farm girl in me…..ha). One day, the sun came out, and would be my only chance to mow before the next rain was due.
It was now or never…..I was off to the garage to gather the push mower. I wasn’t sure if it needed gas, so I brought the mostly full, gas can along, as I wheeled it onto the driveway. Hmmm…..I know there’s a choke somewhere, but I don’t see it on the top or sides. It wasn’t along the handle, or deck……what the? I didn’t want to, but I called my son to walk me through it. As I replied, “Oh…..it’s on the front, in that spot you can hardly see” (a red button, on a red mower). “Ok, got it…..only push it three to five times so I don’t flood it, sounds easy enough.”
After pushing in the choke, exactly four times, I grabbed the pull cord, yanked and nothing happened. I pulled it again, then again. I must have pulled it seven to ten times and still nothing. Apparently, I didn’t have enough strength or speed to start the engine….and now my arm hurt like hell.
My son called back to make sure it started and I had to inform him, I was unsuccessful. He inquired if it was out of gas……”Ummm, in all the hoopla, I forgot to check. Looks like that could be the problem.” After fueling up, I used the choke and began the pulling process over again with no luck. This time he instructed me to try and start it with both hands, while using tape to secure the handle that engages the motor. Well, that didn’t work either, it kept moving too much. Just as we were getting off the phone my daughter pulled up and I commandeered her assistance.
Since the grass was so long, she gave me a tip of going slower and raising the front wheels up if I started hearing it bog down due to the thick, semi-wet grass. Off I went, in an east/west pattern. The front yard went relatively quick, but once I got to the back, it was another story. At the lower spots in the yard, it was so wet, my first step sunk right in. Oh geeezz, I need to keep going or my yard will look like a hay field that needs to be baled. Going in and out of the area by the trees at the end of the property was challenging, and my shoes and socks were soaked through. Let me rephrase that…..Hannah’s shoes were soaked through….LOL. I threw them on since she wore them to mow the week earlier.
At one point Hannah must have noticed a couple of the tree branches flying about my face and came to relieve me, but my feet were already soaking wet; no need for her’s to be the same. So off she went to start dinner on the grill. With only a small straight rectangle section in the middle of the back yard left, Hannah came back to take over. Again, I told her I only had a little left and I might as well finish. She said at the rate I was going, dinner would get cold. “WHAT? You told me to go slow.” She replied, “Just let me finish, and you watch the grill.”
As I took off her wet, green stained shoes, she put them on and finished the job, and I tended to supper. It was a long, slow, green mile that afternoon. I need some lessons on starting the mower without tiring out my arm. This farm girl hasn’t had to use a push mower in a long time. I must admit, I prefer the ride-on variety!
oxoxo…..Sheryl
PS….when I walked by the patio doors I caught my reflection in the glass and laughed. My face had splotches of dirt and grass, and my hair was sticking up where a branch had caught and left debris in it’s place…..it was a really good look….HA!