Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Never Do This

Deciding to learn to drive a lawn mower in your elderly parent's front lawn is probably one of the less well thought out things I've done lately. My thought process(yes there was one) was that Mom wouldn't spend the morning worrying if I was going to make it to her lawn, and there were fewer obstacles in the yard.

Neither of them grasps the idea of practice, and they both hollered at me to lower the blade and well, there is a huge bare swath in the front yard now because I REALLY lowered the blade. I knocked down two sections of brick wall before I got the concept down that the rear wheels stick out further in the back. I had to jump off once to avoid tipping over.

After I turned the mower off and flooded it, Mom figured out that I couldn't hear her over the lawn mower and went in the house. I finished, then went down to my lawn and mowed it three times, each on a progressively lower setting so I could practice my moves.

The grass will grow and I'll practice some more. I enjoyed the task, once I got over feeling defensive. Honestly, expecting someone to hop onto a riding lawnmower after 25 years and several technological innovations and just KNOW what to do is a bit much. I didn't expect it, but my parents are kind of picky about their front lawn. Oh well.

Everyone's a critic too. I mastered,or so I thought, the new gas powered easy start weed wacker-but Mr. Clean had to run out a few minutes ago and clean up my lines. Ah well. That will grow back too and I can practice some more.

7 comments:

soulbrush said...

maybe i'm not supposed to laugh, but this is such a funny post...i can see the humour in it, knocking down walls, mom getting fed up etc...your life is soooo interesting girl!

Mim said...

I was laughing too, but in thanks that I don't do this! I don't do lawns - those machines scare the heck out of me, you are brave to buy and get on one!

switch said...

yes, I laughed too.

tis good...in a Laurel and Hardy kind of way, no?

human being said...

"The grass will grow and I'll practice some more"

loved your optimistic view...
and this sentence... it sounds like a very good slogan...

Anonymous said...

Hhehheee, very funny ;)

BBC said...

You have to learn how to use a lawn mower? Well maybe it just comes natural to me being as I used to build and drive race cars.

Odd that the rear wheels stick out further in the back than the mowing deck does, I don't recall any mower like that.

Hey, are you pulling our legs?

As for grass, people that expect it to be pretty and perfect irritate me, to me it's only pretty and perfect as nature makes it and after I mow it it's just some frigging cut grass.

Debra Kay said...

It's been decreed that Mom will hand mow the front lawn and I will take over the back lawn. Postage stamp lawns are a big deal to them-cest la vie. And the brick walls were just stacked there-not cemented.

Mr. Clean is the neighbor that lives down the street. He does all our edging, and blows the entire street with his blower, and puts the garbage cans back as soon as the garbage truck comes. We visit some-I don't know his real name so when I see him I just say "hi there".