Living With Gramps - Mowing The Lawn
After we finally got the riding lawn mower working again and gradually took over from the neighbor who cut our grass, I tested it out to get the hang of it.
Being new to lawn mowing in general and riding mowers in particular, I wasn’t sure just how to cut the grass around obstacles such as bushes without driving right into them. Many of the bushes had nasty thorns on long branches and were full of bees. I was also nervous about mowing the steep hill next to the busy road. The brakes were not good. Even with the brakes all the way down, the mower would still roll downhill.
One day, I mowed ninety-five percent of the front half of the lawn and took a break for lunch, planning on doing the hard parts after I had thought them through. I was hungry, hot, tired, thirsty, and in no condition to think about anything. My grandfather could not understand why I had not finished. I could not get him to understand that I was on lunch break. “It has to be done!” he exclaimed. While I was still making a sandwich, he shuffled out the door.
Even with two canes, his balance was horrific. He would sway to and fro and I still don’t understand how he got on and off the mower. He also kept his canes with him and I was worried they would fall off and jam the blades. I was in no mood to go back out in the heat, but I figured I had better watch him. I also knew the gas tank was running low and he could end up stranded too far from the house to walk back.
He mowed back and forth, forth and back, going over everything I had already done – and sometimes over and over what he had already done. I tried to tell him he was wasting his time, but he could not hear me over the motor. He drove me nuts.
Eventually, while going downhill, the gas level in the tank tilted enough that the mower sputtered to a stop. It was no use arguing with him. He wanted the mowing done today! I got him some more gas. At least I learned that day how to mow the problem spots – and I did eventually finish that sandwich.