Green Lawn Care
The rains came, which made the plants grow. Now the weeds and grass are growing out of control. The lawn should have been mowed this weekend, but Dear Husband hurt his back: remnants of a two-decade-old bicycling accident. So he couldn’t mow. Instead, I mowed this morning.
As I was pushing the lawn mower back and forth, our neighbor across the street started putting up his hurricane shutters. Not that a hurricane is coming, but some people like to have one or two windows shuttered in advance. He is a older man, about 70. He’s in good shape, though. His wife once told me that she spends twice as much on food for him than for her because he jogs so much. He was hauling the corrugated metal panels that interlock from his garage to the side windows when we said, “Good morning,” to each other.
“You’re mowing with a ghost,” he chuckled as I pushed the Scotts Brand Classic Reel Mower through the swail.
“Just doing my part to be green,” I answered.
There is a bugs’ nest, some roach kind, in the middle of our island. I have never seen these particular bugs inside the house, so I let them stay. The lizards chase after them, as do the grackles and mockingbirds. The commotion attracts the egrets, and every so often, a flock of hungry ibises walk their way across the street and into our yard. I love these bugs! Their nest makes for good soil, so the grass that covers the nest grows the fastest. It is also the toughest grass to mow.
In general, a reel push mower is more work than a gas-powered mower. Sometimes the sticks and twigs get caught in the blades, but that can be prevented by doing a bit of preparation, id est, picking up the twigs and thick leaves. And if the grass is too high, as with the bugs’ nest, the mower won’t cut. I have to go over the surface two or ten times.
But there’s no petrol to drain. There are no spark plugs to clean. No oil to change. No gasoline to burn. No engine to push. No fumes to inhale. No vibrating machine that leaves the worker with shaking arms and hands for the rest of the day. There is only the clean sound of sharp blades and the potential for toned triceps.
Just doing my part to be green!
