My Backyard, Part Two

When grandson was younger, we held off cutting the grass until after Easter and the much-anticipated egg hunt. This year, many things conspired to keep me from cutting the grass until it was almost too late. Easter was later this year than it had been for many years. Then, we had spells of unseasonably warm weather alternating with all the rain we usually receive a month earlier added to the April showers. Lastly, of course, the mower was taken for a joy ride down to Maryland and forgot to come home.

One of the unexpected outcomes of not having a lawnmower for over a week in peak grass-growing weather is that I got to see what my "lawn" has living in it. (Violets, for instance, thousands of them!) I put lawn in quotes because I would hardly call the green stuff covering the dirt out there a proper lawn. More like an urban meadow, it is, than a well manicured lawn.























The reel mower that was left behind when the power mower disappeared is not quite my age, but is certainly in the same condition: dull, where we should be sharp; rusted and creaky, where we should be shiny with well-oiled joints; outdated and slow-moving. Turns out that the two shops I knew about where lawn mowers, of all ages, could be repaired have gone out of business, victims of the economy or the Big-Box lawn and garden centers, or of family members who didn't want to take over Dad's shop when he retired. I went online to try to learn how to fix push mowers, and was daunted at what I found. I'm usually game to try my hand at anything new, especially if it involves taking machines apart and the use of lots of hand tools. Just can't bring myself to do it this time. Maybe later, in the fall, when I usually clean my tools before putting them away for winter.












At Zhoen's suggestion, I went looking for newer models of reel mowers and found the 'Cadillac' of push mowers: the Momentum, by Fiskars. Tried one out at the local TrueValue farm and garden shop. What a wonder! The wheels rotate as if the ball bearings were floating in premium motor oil, no effort at all. The blades whirl around the axis like smoke on the wind, creating the softest fluttering sound when flying past the cutter bar unlike anything I've ever heard - more like a sigh. You can adjust the wheels to a cutting height of 4 inches, in half inch increments from about one inch up to the 4 inch limit.

However, at $230(US), this 'Cadillac' of push mowers is as far out of my financial reach as is its nickname-sake.
















Several days after the theft, I found a small shop northeast of town that sells used mowers. No push mowers, however; only power mowers. I found one that fit my budget and brought it home, exactly two weeks after I lost the other one. The new-old mower is smaller than the one I had, is not self-propelled, but uses gas more efficiently and is quieter than the one I lost. The blade is super-sharp, the engine was recently cleaned, with new spark plug and air filter. The paint job is in good condition (not that that matters to me) and it mulches as well as mows. It used to have a grass-catching bag, but that was discarded because it was mildew-rotted, thus lowering the sale price. It is a good machine and is stored in my locked tool shed behind the garage - way out of sight of passers-by.

I've learned my lesson.