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Sunday. I’m still in bed. It’s almost 11.00am. I’m not enjoying the weekends lately. I think that if I stay in bed longer, I have to face the day for less time. So that’s pretty much what I’m doing.
My kids are preparing breakfast. I don’t even want to know.
So on Friday, I had mow the lawn. I knew I had to do it for a long time but I always managed to find an excuse not to do it. But when the man appeared and I needed an excuse to get me out the way, I said I didn’t have time because I had to mow the lawn. I couldn’t think of anything more credible.
Believe me, I tried to avoid it at all costs. I was even tempted to perform “The Rain Dance” because it was cloudy and it seemed that it could rain any time…
Then I thought, I better get over with it.
So I looked for my rubber boots and put them on and went to the garage to look for the mower. No need for my Texan hat because the sun wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

The day I ordered the mower online, I didn’t know it didn’t come with a cable, so after I got it, I had to wait for another couple of days to get the cable. I also didn’t know where the plugs in this house were, so I wanted to be safe and ordered an incredibly stupid long cable. I think 40m/131ft long. That means that I can plug it anywhere in my house and mow my lawn and the one of my neighbor without a problem.

I plugged the machine and started walking towards the grass. The freaking cable got all tangled. I had to curse because when I rolled it last time I used it, I did a really good job and it was not supposed to get tangled in any way. I was wrong. It took 10 minutes to untangle.
Then I started mowing. Why in heaven did I wait so long? It was hard to push the mower. And what was even worse, was that after one line and a bit of mowing, the container that holds the cut grass, got completely full. And when the container is full, it leaves grass piles all around. So it was like this. Mow for a bit. Stop. Empty the grass container. Connect the container again. Mow for another minute. Stop. Empty the grass container, etc. etc.. After the 4th time doing that, the bag where I was emptying the container, got full. So I had to walk to the back of the house where I improvised a compost container and empty it. That was taking ages and I was losing my smile. And I knew that after finishing mowing all the lawn, it was the turn to rake and collect the little grass piles that I left all around. Otherwise they fly away and land on my neighbors house. Twice I forgot to connect the container… More grass piles around. I picked a few piles by hand because they were wet and easy to pick.

By the time I had 2/3 done, I was tired. Tired of emptying the container, tired of emptying the bag and tired of moving the cable so I wouldn’t mow on it too. I think I looked like a Rodeo Girl.
So I decided to start a new system that was not going in straight lines. It was “going around and avoiding the cable”.

Then when I thought I was ready, I payed close attention and discovered that I had missed several spots. That happens when you don’t follow the “straight lines system”.
So I walked with the machine with the intention to cut the missed spots… While walking to the first spot, I noticed that if I passed through the piles of grass, the machine either suck them in or made them so small that they were invisible. I needed to think for a few minutes: “Raking-collecting each pile OR going through the piles with the machine and make them disappear”… Exactly. Option number two.

In the end, I was really happy. Now only the backyard needs to be done. And for that I need that the owner of the house removes the fallen tree that’s laying in the middle since the first week of January. Last week he said he was coming on Monday… But again, he didn’t tell me which Monday.

I don’t enjoy gardening so much, but then I look at that garden and think that it’s worth the effort.

~ by DotedOn on April 19, 2015.