Lately it seems

Lately it seems, I can't think of anything to write about.  When that happens, sometimes I sit down and just start writing.  Usually when I do that I end up writing something very similar to the first two sentences of this post.  And frequently I end up writing one of my "thoughts" posts, which is little more than a collection of rocks in my head.  That's what I'm leaning toward this time, though I have no particular thoughts to expound upon.

Rececently we fullfilled an annual rite of almost-spring - we arranged for our yearly service on the old John Deere.  Although the last couple of days have been kind of cool, it's frequently warmer here in North Carolina this time of year than it is in 2/3rds of the country or so, and things are begining to reflect that.  What passes for grass has turned green and is growing, a lot of flowers are begining to bloom, there are wild onions all over the place and if you look closely you can see buds on a lot of the trees.  Normally I refuse to start mowing until April, but last year I let it go when I really should have mowed one more time, so I think I'm going to pay for it this year.  I'll probably have to mow next week.  The week after at the latest.  I'm not talking a 1/4 acre lot in a suburb somewhere, I have to mow about 2 acres of land, almost none of it flat, and some quite steep.  It is very easy to get stuck somewhere, and it is also probably quite easy to do your self serious injury (going sideways over a bank, knocking your head on a limb, getting poked in the eye with something eye level, getting raked by a thorny vine which is very good at holding on, and so on), so mowing is not something I take lightly.   I wear saftey glasses, and usually some work gloves, no matter what the temperature is.  That won't help much if I run into a tree or plunge into an abyss, but at least it's something.

But anyway, calling someone to come and haul the mower away and do "the works" on it is a rite of approaching spring.  I can actually change the oil - it's much easier than changing the oil on a car - but all in all Pickles the Dog has more mechanical aptitude than I do, so I send it off and let them get it all ready for me.    It'll come back running a lot smoother than it was when I gave it to them, the blades will be sharpened & balanced, and it may even be good and clean. 

Ok - I had no idea I'd end up writing about this. On a scale of things, it's not much to write about, but it's where my mind went.  I hate mowing grass.