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.

Hot.

Well I guess 2010 is back to a normal summer.  This summer is as hot as the winter was cold.  Thing was, it's was an unusually cold & snowy winter in North Carolina.  The heat & humdity of this summer though, is not unusual.  It's normal.  And I have to tell you, it's hot.  And very, very humid. 

And I'm not one to complain.....ok, who am I kidding. 

The thing is, the heat of the day more often than not, results in afternoon thunderstorms.  These storms tend to dump a lot of water in a short period of time.  This, despite my best intentions, causes what passes for grass to grow, which means I have to mow it.

Apparently there are guys who love riding around on their riding mower, happily mowing away.  Well, I'm not one of them.  But we have a fair amount of land, so a riding mower it is.

And it's hot.

And in reality, it is still spring.  Sigh.

Finally!!

I just wanted the world to know that I finally got the grass mowed.   I'm sure there are about 2 acres worth of mowing to do, and I started on Tuesday.   It took me till today (Saturday) to get it done.  I gave up Wednesday & Thursday (because of rain), and Friday decided it was do or die time - the grass was getting high even for my standards, and my grass mowing standards are pretty low.   Friday I managed to get two thirds of what was left done, even with having to stop once because it rained for a few minutes.   I finished the rest of it this afternoon - the first day without rain in a long time.

And just so you know, these were not cool, misty little rains - it poured.  Then it stopped.  Then it was EXTREMELY humid.   Then it poured again.    The plants love it.  So do the bugs.  Too bad I'm a human.

It's April!!

The day before yesterday I did something that I am loathe to do.  I mowed the grass.  It wasn't even April and I mowed the grass.  I'm disgusted with myself.

We don't really have a yard, we have a field.  Mowing is not something to be taken lightly, not something that can be done on a whim, knocked out in nothing flat.   It has to be done with a riding mower (the trusty old John Deere), and you're gonna be out there the better part of the afternoon. And our property is not flat - in fact there are places where it is quite steep, but yet there is grass to be mowed.  I refuse to buy a push mower, and weed eaters long ago got the best of me.   So, there are places where I am extremely careful, not wanting to find out how heavy a John Deere riding lawn mower might actually be.  

I subscribe to several schools of thought on mowing grass.  

The first is "Never mow grass before sometime in April" school of thought.

The second is the "When it looks like it needs to be mowed, wait another week" school of thought. Events may force the issue, and that's what happened this time.

The third is the "If you miss it this time, you'll get it next time" school of thought.   I never see any reason to alter this.

The fourth is "Never use anything like weed & feed" school of thought.  This is because if you kill all the weeds, you may not have any green left.   Besides, I'd have to buy tons of the stuff, and that aint gonna happen.  I set my mower blade setting pretty high for the same reason - it hides the weeds, and I find I don't mow any more often than the people who cut it down to the ground.

So, it had been raining all week & the grass loved it.  It was to the point where it needed to be mowed, and my tendency is to wait another week after that. That would have put it well into April, and let me keep my self-esteem. BUT, more rain was predicted.  That was the problem. Monday was a beautiful day, warm, dry-ish (for North Carolina), and rain was predicted for later in the week.  

I cannot mow when it rains. If the grass gets way too high, and way too wet, it'll never dry out and is a pain to mow.  I was afraid this would happen, so I mowed.

I broke my first two rules.  

The mowing season has begun, an I really don't like to mow grass.

My Preparations For Hurricane Hanna

My preparations for Hurricane Hanna consisted of mowing the yard. Yep, that's pretty much it. If anyone has read a previous post, they may get the idea that I don't really care to mow the yard, and they'd be right.

In fact its really a mistake to call Patti Anne & I have a yard. It's more like a field. In fact it is a field, a large field and I mowed the stupid thing last week. It was just getting back to the point that a resonable and prudent person may consider that it needed mowing again. I generally like to let it go another week or so after that point. But not this time. If Hanna hits where they think its going to hit, we're going to get a lot of rain - like from Friday to Sunday. The grass is going to love it, soak it up, and grow and grow. And, in humidity ridden North Carolina, it will never truly dry out, at least not until December or so. So I will end up having to mow a wet field. It's tricky enough when it's not wet. I have to dodge some large trees, keep from rolling down some steep hills, and try not to get into places I can't get out of. It's enough of a technical challenge without adding the possibility of choking the old John Deere to death into the mix.

So I sucked it up and mowed. Looks pretty nice, actually.

Rain in Valdese

Lord knows I know we need rain. And I know its egocentric and selfish of me to wish it wouldn't rain so that I wouldnt have to mow grass. But you see, I have a lot of grass to mow - a couple of acres. The field looks very nice after its mowed, standing off in the distance and surveying the scene as a whole. If it doesnt rain, it'll stay that way for quite awhile. But if we have a two hour soaker, like this afternoon, I just know it'll start growing again, and I'll have to mow. Now, I do live out in the country, at least by some people's definition, so its not like I feel any pressure to have an immaculate yard. I mean, really, just walk South Avenue or Orchard or Praley or any other street in this area, and you'll get the idea. A well manicured lawn is the exception - sticks out like a sore thumb in fact. A well manicured lawn does not get my respect nor does it make me envious, nor (& I realize I'm probably using nor incorrectly, cause the only place neither appears in this little narrative is 6 words ago) does it cause me to hold its owner in high regard. It causes a little twich in a synapse in my brain, a small involuntary electrical firing that I'm not even aware of, and that's about it. But....I do have my standards, and when the grass starts to look like a minature wheat field, I sigh and maybe cuss a little under my breath, and grudingly decide its time to mow. And a heavy rain like we had today means I'll have to mow a week sooner than I otherwise would have had to. So. Ratz.