Wednesday, June 16, 2010

The ZEN of Lawncare....

WARNING:
This is a long post with no pictures...
and really, I don't know why I'm writing it, but here goes:
When I was a newlywed,
Peter & I owned a 1/4 acre lot in the heart of Stratford, CT.
a small town, and an even smaller parcel of 'land' for us ~
but it was ours, nonetheless.
I was working full-time in the Dental Profession,
and usually had wednesdays, saturdays & sundays off.
Saturdays was spent doing yardwork,
which contisted of cutting the grass with a push mower.
(not a big yard, remember?) then, sweeping the driveway.
that's it. 20 minutes later and it was
fini'....
because of the push mower,
I was in tip-top shape,
tall and sleek with muscular arms and a killer tan!
When we became pregnant with Hannah, I could no longer use the push mower,
so we purchased our first-ever electric mower.
{{I was skeered to death I'd run over the cord and electrocute myself...}}
I used that mower for years, before we moved to Guilford, CT,
...where we then had 4 acres of property.
a HUGE difference in the size of our lawn, and of course,
now the cord wasn't long enough on the old electric mower
~ LOL!!!
so we purchased a gas-powered mower.
{{I was skeered to death I'd be blown to smithereens
and ruined my right rotor-cuff pulling the start-cord..}}
I would start first in the front yard and make my way onto the back...
neat, straight lines of alternating swaths that would rival any golf course green...
ah, yes...I was a professional.
my pride in my lawn overtook my common sense and I would find myself cutting it 2 times a week, needing that 'make-your-neighbors-green-with-envy' lawn...
and they were.
The neighborhood husbands would make remarks about MY lawn to their wives,
and I would get punished for it....
like...
not being invited to the next Princess House Party.
(oh how tragic.)

So I gradually had to wean myself from the OCD that had overtaken me.
I had to let that lawn grow....

Little-by-little, my senses regained and I could face the wives at the school bus-stop again.
but I was no longer a friend of the husbands....
...I was shunned at picnics at snickered at behind cold cans of Bud Lite.
(oh well)
Skipping ahead to the present,
being here in VA and owning about 85 acres
(with 6 of it needing lawn-care of some-sort)
I have lessened my compulsion to cutting the grass
....every week whether it needs it or not.

Of course, we needed and purchased our first-ever ride-on mower
{{I was skeered to death I'd hit a bump, fall off and cut off my own legs}}
but I challenged myself to learn to drive it.
and I did.
the first time I was to cut the grass,
I whizzed around the yard like Mrs. Pac-man on LSD...
No control. No rhyme or reason.
my lawn looked like some maniacal-maze out of Stephen King's 'The Shining'.
I hit every rock, stick and stone that I thought i picked up...
I worried endlessly that I would 'shoot' someone
(dog, sheep,...chicken)
with something i ran over,
so I spent more time picking through the grass than I did cutting it....
(ah yes, another obsession hits.)
it takes me about 2 hours to cut all of my grass here at the farm.
I don't go to the extreme anymore, (lessons learned...)
my lawn now looks perfect to me, no matter what it may look like to others.
it has dandelions, clover and buttercups growing happily in it.
~ the edges are long and uneven and I love it.
the time spent on my mower helps me to think, unwind and dream...
2 hours to myself, smelling the sweet-grass
...and figuring up new ideas for blog posts.

as of late, the weather hasn't permitted me to cut my grass at all.
it has been too muggy, too hot, too sunny, too wet...

....oh who am I kidding?
I'll cut grass in 6 inches of snow!!!
Hoping you all have a beautiful day,
get outside, get some sun (or rain, or humidity) but get some fresh air...
Blessings from the Farm,
Lori

16 comments:

~Judy~ said...

Lori, I too, LOVE to cut the lawn. It's my most favorite thing to do in the summer!! My husband is very thankful he found me......my kids are glad too!

Natasha said...

Before we moved back to california we had 1/2 arce of land My DH did all the cutting but then he came back to Cali while I stayed in Sc to sell our house, I really miss cutting the grass and taking care of the yard .
I too worried about cutting my toes off LOL

Jacqueline said...

funny post.. but your worries are not unfounded.. my brother lost his big toe and part of his foot when he slipped under the mower when mowingon their steep front yard.. so a word to the wise - always, always be aware of what you are doing and becareful.

GailinVirginia said...

Lori, again you make me love and admire you...you are just so "real"...
I had no idea that you cut grass...lol,not sure how you get so much out of the same 24 hours that I get in my part of Va...

hugs,

aprilmecheelesdulllife said...

Like GailinVirginia - I am wondering about you having more hours in your day than me. LOL I have 4 arces to cut.. I cut it every time. It is my thinking time.. I also ride grandson around on riding mower. He loves it !!!

primitivebettys said...

Tony won't let me start the mower... he complains about 6 hours of mowing, but I think he really likes the 'me' time he gets. :)

Kim said...

Great post. I laughed all the way through it. I have given up the lawn care at both my house and cottage and after the first month - I no longer miss it. No more black fly bitten ankles for me.

Jeanne said...

Lucky you ! I wish my husband would let me mow our 4+ acres...but he won't give up his beloved John Deere for anyone!!
~jeanne~

janeu729 said...

We have 1 1/2 acres - the most land these city people EVER thought they'd own! Both of us love to cut the grass. We're putting off getting a riding mower until our knees and shoulderss can no longer walk behind our gas-powered machines! Steve calls his "the baby" and we lovingly get them serviced each spring.

moosecraft said...

Love this story... and all the (skeered) thoughts about the next form of lawn cutting machine! LOL! We have about 1/8 of an acre here and it "used to feel bigger"... now I can't wait to move to about 10 acres (for peace and quiet)... and mow ALL of it! LOL!

Pam said...

Oh, Lori.....I would have invited you to MY Princess House party..provided I was ever seriously demented enough to have one!! Hey...I live in Arizona, where we have a tiny patch of grass and the rest is rocks and swimming pool. Don't be surprised if I show up to cut your grass with you!
Pam

Cat Nap Inn Primitives said...

Oh I love the way you tell us about your lawn..I could totally picture running around on like in stephen king..thanks for sharing..and show us a photo of that lawn of yours..have a wonderful rest of your day:)

from me to thee......... said...

hi Lori, pictures or no pictures, I LOVE that post!!!! smiles, Linda

Finegan Antiques said...

You definitely have a love relationship with cutting your grass. I can understand the attraction cause you can let your mind wander just like when I'm spinning. However you get more exercise than I do.
Great post!

Donna

Beth Twist said...

I'm a lawn-mowing girl too, and recently bought a reel mower for the immediate yard to help cut down on the Mr.'s mowing time (funny, I can't ride a mower AND watch the 4 & 2 year old at the same time). I think we must have about the same amount of grass, because it takes 2 hours on the rider.

Anyway, funny story... one day I was out mowing our field, a twice a Summer job that takes a good 3-4 hours. As I rounded the lower and most steeply-sloped corner, the steering went out on our old and overused machine. The weight of the engine pulled it around and I slowly started to pick up speed, heading toward our steep hillside down into the forest (did I mention that the brakes were worn out?). I was scared half to death, picturing myself plummeting to a certain death, until I remembered that I could bail, and that once my weight came off of the seat the engine would turn off. I think I must have laid there, panting on my back in the prickly cut straw for 5 full minutes before I checked to see if the lawnmower stopped before it went over the edge (it did). Not only was that the last time we used the old klunker, shortly thereafter, we bought the John Deere so we could stop wearing the riders out so soon. :)

Susan said...

This was just too much. I can picture you in every phase of your mowing life.

I have just layed the grass here in sandy acres and am now the proud resident of a grass front yard. But my sandy drive is being over run with wild plants and grasses as we cleared a small portion of SC forest to set the MH - some things are 12 inches tall now and threatening to enrobe the car (Honda Pilot). Forest very near to hand! I love it!
Happy Stitching/Designing/Mowing!