Things Learned While Mowing
A power cord lying on grass or gravel has a lot of friction acting on it. This adds up to a lot of drag over time. The best way of moving a cord to the side is to flip it as if beginning to jump rope, sending a wave down the length of it.
You can tell different plants by their smells when they are cut. There is the scent of grass, of course. Then there is a deep bitter greenness that I associate with childhood weeds; I don't know the plant, but I remember the smell. I discovered clumps of chives in the lawn by mowing over them absent-mindedly and then smelling oniony wafts each time I neared that patch of yard. Some plants smell like feces when mown.
Sometimes, though, it is feces. Watch your step!
Some plants are more resilient than others. You can mow them clear down to the ground and they come back within days, lusher than ever.
Usually they are weeds. Unattractive ones.
Mowing is good for thinking. The sound provides a bit of white noise, the physical effort distracts the fidgets, and the need to focus on what one's doing sharpens the mind while leaving enough space for thought. Walking to campus when I was in Minnesota used to do the same thing for me. I miss that.
Moths live in the grass during the day.
Trees shed sticks all. the. time. Healthy trees. Green leafy trees. Where the heck are these dead dry sticks coming from??
Sticks larger than a pencil shouldn't be mowed over, although the mower will succeed in chopping up sticks as thick as one's thumb. (Note to self: do not ever put hands near mower blades!)
The ugliest, weediest, hardest-to-mow section of the whole yard is right next to the front step. Why is that? (Second note to self: buy can of wildflower seeds and order bulbs soon.)
Knowledge of vectors is a very good thing when mowing slightly uphill on a slanted stretch of lawn.
If the mower is set right, dead leaves and cut grass disappear from sight as you mow. The neighbor on the east has not figured this out (or doesn't care).
Both rigid perfection and artful wildness are very difficult forms of landscaping to sustain. Especially when the yard itself is lumpy and uneven, and when you can't tell a weed from a desirable plant until it blooms and spreads its seeds everywhere.
Mowing helps you learn where all the tree roots are.
I feel guilty when I mow over mushrooms. I don't feel guilt when I cut down dandelions.
Outdoor power outlets are wonderful things, not missed until you move into a place that doesn't have them. There is something very bizarre about plugging in a lawnmower using the socket next to the tv and computer.
Mowing is good exercise.
Never put off mowing on the belief that tomorrow will be just as nice a day. If you do, it will rain for three days straight, and the lawn will grow thick enough to feed an army of sheep and the mower tires will ball up with grass clippings.
I never understood lawns until I moved here.
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