Sunday 17 October 2010

Post Rain - The Battle begins


There is a battle looming. I have dragged out my lawn mower. I have mixed a new batch of weed killer. I have gathered my rake and trimmer. I have liberated my yard hat from under a pile of old rags and have my battered boots lined up outside the door. I have wandered the yard and planned my attack.

As usual the mower refuses to start. I pull the starter cord fifty times. I cajole, ignore, use reverse psychology, pretending to give up for the day and walking away. I fiddle with every adjustment but the air filter. I am in air filter denial. I don't see why my once new mower should need that much of my attention every month just to start. It's not too much to ask.

The filter takes only three minutes to clean but I am impatient and have high expectations of my machinery. I know that I will lose, but yet again I pit my will against this inanimate object in a vain effort to assert my superiority. Eventually I change the filter and the mower sputters to life on the next pull of the cord. I am again humbled.

5 comments:

Alex Daw said...

The lawn mower chorus was in full swing in Chapel Hill yesterday....Robert and Cas finally bit the bullet at about 5pm and joined in...bless em

Tess Kincaid said...

That lazy hum of the lawn mowers has pretty much wound it up for the season here. Best of luck!

Kathe W. said...

and as you wrassle with the mower...we roll up the hoses and rake the many many leaves.
Thanks for your nice comments on my VooDoo piece, but for heavens sake are they there too? Thought they only existed here in the Pacific NW.

Queen of the Tea Cosies said...

Lawn Mowers!

I have a BRAND NEW ONE!

A RED one.

With a virgin chord!



Lovely piece Steve. Lovely.

Stafford Ray said...

Solution: Borrow Loani's mower.
Oh, and by the way, who drew the life like pic of you pulling the cord? I'll go now.