Mowing the Lawn Sets the Mind Free

It has been my intention to mow my lawn for the past several days. However, for the first of those days, we had rain – unseasonable rain here, but ever so appreciated since we are in a drought. Then, the past couple of days – and this is when I knew it was personal – it rained. But only when I walked out the door. When I came back in it stopped. But when I walked out – you get the drift. Some of those days, it rained in the early morning, so I would decide to wait until mid to late afternoon to go mow, but by then the thunder clouds would have rolled in and I knew when the angels were bowling it was foolhardy to ride around the yard on a metal lawn tractor. Those angels sometimes throw gutter balls, you know, and that’s not a good thing for anyone right under the end of that gutter.

So, at last, today dawned only mostly cloudy with no wet drops appearing. I headed into the lean-to to get the mower out, and saw this:

Hmmm. For the past few weeks often when I’ve entered the lean-to a bird has flown out. I thought it looked like a barn swallow, but looking up at the rafters of the lean-to and around on the shelves, I could see no nest. I checked the eaves of the pump house, the garage, the shop, the house – no nests. Puzzling. This morning as I approached the back of the quad, which is parked next to the lawn tractor, the light bulb in my brain came on, and I looked up. Again. Only this time, I was looking back towards the entrance, not forwards into the lean-to. And what do you suppose I found?!

Yep, the nest. Now empty, I believe. Maybe they’ll come back next year and I will look more closely. Mystery solved, lawn tractor backed out and pulled into the lawn, all set to mow what looks like the beginnings of a jungle. My big furry girls had followed me outside and, of course, were right in my path, so I slowed and waited for them to move out of the way. See these beautiful, innocent faces?

Don’t let them fool you! They wander out to the edge of the road, innocently sniffing around. But. As soon as I reach the far end of the yard, the end closest to the road, and I turn back towards the back of the property, they pick up their speed and trot across the road, looking back to see if I’m watching. I again turn the corner and head back to the road, and on their faces I can see “Crap! She sees us!” After several loud verbal commands and a lot of frantic hand commands, they finally decide it would be best if they obey and return to their yard. They lay in the shade, close to the road – until they decide I am not going to stop checking on them and decide it’s more comfortable in the house. “Thank you, spoilsport mom” – I hear them muttering under their breath.

Then, mowing does not require a lot of concentration and I am free to drift as I go. Thoughts meander.

Hmmm, looks like the clover and the sorrel is taking over out here. I wonder why? I did not fertilize this spring – I’ll have to do it in the fall.

The earliest Clematis to bloom, the one that doesn’t climb but will crawl, is sure pretty this year. I see buds on the climbing varieties, so they should come out soon.

Boy, I really need to get out and spray around the sprinkler heads with Roundup, then I need to get the string trimmer out to clear around them. I know there’s a sprinkler head in there. I wish Husband had used all of the popup-in-the-ground kind instead of only a few of them.

Well, darn! I came out and picked up pine cones yesterday, but I see we have some replacements. Right in front of me. This is when my dark side comes out.

My lips curve into an evil grin, and I think “death to you! My trusty mower and I will not be deterred by the likes of you”, and I hear what sounds much like a witch’s cackle erupt from my throat. In my wake, I leave – destruction.

My neighbor brings me my mail, having just returned from a trip to our little town just a few miles away and shares the news of the day – our little cafe broken into, but nothing taken. The library broken into, computers stolen. The reasons why I am happy to live a few miles outside of the town and would not want to live in it. I continue to mow, and now my mind is thinking uncharitable thoughts about the parents of the ethnic group that seems to be the cause of the trouble in that town – why do they not feel a responsibility to keep track of their kids? Why can they not teach them respect – for authority, for others, for the property of others. I’m growling.

One threat overcome and the local news pushed to the back of my mind, mowing becomes calmer. I note that my Smoke Tree is smoking

and the cheerful daisies are blooming.

And all the while, thoughts form and I realize I have composed a blog post as I mowed. So here it is, and now it’s done and I can go comb the yard debris out of my hair and wash it off my body. It’s time now for lunch, my book, and a nap.