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A Beeblet 4U
Date: 2003-10-23 11:26:58
Comments: speaking of lawn mowing, let me tell you about my history of lawnmowers.
When I was ten or twelve or so, the age where one is required to start cutting grass, my dad had this Toro from the mid-70s, it barely worked and was nearly impossible to start and I hated it. Finally, we talk him into getting a new lawnmower, and he comes home with a Sears electric lawnmower.
We were like "Sweet! no gas! You just charge it and...." and then he pulled two 100' heavy duty extension cords out of the trunk. Our yard in cincinnati was huge and there was a tree randomly placed about every ten feet. It got to be where he'd tell us to mow the lawn and we'd just go out, reel out the cord, and then push the mower over it to cut it in half, then go back inside to watch TV while my dad duct-taped it back together or went to buy a new cord. That thing sucked.
So I go to college, and move here, and never have a lawn to worry about because I'm renting, and then I buy a house and think "finally, I can go out and PICK OUT what lawnmower I want, and it'll be brand new and work great. We close and move in, and as the guy's leaving, he's like "Oh, I left you
guys two lawnmowers out in the garage. I go look, and one is the manual push kind, and the other is, yep, the exact same sears electric lawnmower my dad had. the engine cover was even cracked the same way. it was eerie.
The first time I mow the lawn, I use the manual one, thinking "I'll get some exercise." then I realize you have to rake up all the grass afterwards. fuck that. So I use the electric one, for a couple years, each time wishing it
would just catch on fire or something. Tracie hates it too, I always catch her mowing the corner of the sidewalk, trying to break the blade.
Then we realize that there is ONE and only one benefit to electric mowers. They can be run upside down. One afternoon, we turn it on it's back, put a video camera a few feet away behind plexiglas, and turn it on, then throw a
bunch of rotten fruit and vegetables into it from the deck. That was probably the most fun that was ever had in our backyard, and it managed to kill off the mower, finally.