Lawn Mowing

[Mr. DS]

Just figured I'd throw this question out there.  Personally I put it off until the grass is several inches high but I always find theres a fun factor to it in the long run. 

[trekgeezer]

There is a certain Zen to lawn mowing. It is pretty much a mindless task and it's good to perform mindless tasks. It frees you from the rigors of modern life and has a relaxing effect (unless them damn mower breaks).

I have to mow over 1.5 acres with a 22hp Troybilt rider. This year I've had to let the grass get deep because up until this last week, we've been getting rain just about every day.

[asimpson2006]

I enjoy mowing our lawn when I can.  Now I have mowed it yet this year, since I'm still recovering from my second surgery.  My dad has been mowing it since I'm not able to.  It's really the only yard work that I like.  I hate working in our flower beds, and I try to avoid it at all costs.  I don't like have to rake leaves it's just not fun.  The reason I enjoy mowing a lawn is that I sometimes get a different challenge each time I do it.  Like maybe I'll see the lines better, or the grass will be longer and will need more time, or it will be dry and make me work for it.  If it was not for that, I probably would not cut our grass at all.
     

[CheezeFlixz]

I mow a little over 6 acres, and it's about the only peace I get. Mindless driving and time to work out all those issues and problems without the additional input, just think time. I just bought another mower a John Deere X540 as the old JD GT345 still mows great and I had these delusions I could get a family member to help mow. However, it's been so dry here, that I haven't had to mow much at all, I've had the new mower over a month and I have only 2.1 hours on it.

[Andrew]

We have a small lawn and an entirely human-powered mower (yes, they still make them).  It doesnt make sense for us to have an electric or a gas mower, so I get a good workout for about 30 minutes when it is time to mow the lawn, because I tend to run back and forth when I do it.  The mower does have a multiplier gear, so running is not required to get the blades spinning fast enough, but it does give me the opportunity to work up a sweat.

[Shadow]

I hate mowing the lawn. HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE it! We live on a corner lot, so our front lawn is freakin' huge. I've paid the neighbor 30 bucks a month for the last 3 and a half years to mow it for me. The sad thing is, he is moving soon and then I'll be stuck with the job. 

[Torgo]

It only takes me about 40 to 45 minutes to mow my lawn. That is, if I mow the side part to the left of my house which isn't that often as the trees make a sort of canopy and not much rain reaches the grass there so if doesn't grow as fast.

I've just got a regular push mower.  Weedeater brand actually.

I hate mowing as I've got a bank area of grass next to the road that is easy to seriously twist my ankle mowing if I'm not paying attention. 

[Mr. DS]

We have a small lawn and an entirely human-powered mower (yes, they still make them). 

those are actually making a big comeback now.  A local newspaper did a story on them just the other day.

[Scott]

Our new yard is relatively small and takes me about 30 minutes to cut and get the yard waste together. If I include edging it's a little longer. I use a Briggs and Stratton mower similar to the one below. They don't cost much and last for years.

[BlackAngel75]

I don't have to "mow the lawn", why?  'Cuz God created apartment buildings

[raj]

There is a certain Zen to lawn mowing. It is pretty much a mindless task and it's good to perform mindless tasks. It frees you from the rigors of modern life and has a relaxing effect (unless them damn mower breaks).

I have to mow over 1.5 acres with a 22hp Troybilt rider. This year I've had to let the grass get deep because up until this last week, we've been getting rain just about every day.

Exactly.  I always find mowing the lawn to be a good meditation.  When I was growing up my family had about 3.6 acres, probably 1 - 1.5 acres that was mowed.  And guess what teenaged boy was tapped to do the mowing?  Took me about 6-7 hours spread out over the weekend (I would take breaks to watch Yankee games or Wimbledon). 

Now I get the lawn done in under half an hour -- it's not even a good warm up.

[asimpson2006]

There is a certain Zen to lawn mowing. It is pretty much a mindless task and it's good to perform mindless tasks. It frees you from the rigors of modern life and has a relaxing effect (unless them damn mower breaks).

I have to mow over 1.5 acres with a 22hp Troybilt rider. This year I've had to let the grass get deep because up until this last week, we've been getting rain just about every day.

Exactly.  I always find mowing the lawn to be a good meditation.  When I was growing up my family had about 3.6 acres, probably 1 - 1.5 acres that was mowed.  And guess what teenaged boy was tapped to do the mowing?  Took me about 6-7 hours spread out over the weekend (I would take breaks to watch Yankee games or Wimbledon). 

Now I get the lawn done in under half an hour -- it's not even a good warm up.

We "my family" have a small lawn about 1/4 acre.  It normally takes me about 40-50 minutes to cut the grass.  We would have a riding lawn mower but our back yard is fenced in because our dogs would run wild if we didn't so we put a fence up in the back.  It is almost like a meditation, just you and the lawn and nothing else.  going a little off topic sparring is almost like a meditation.  Being a martial arts, when I step into the ring I can forget about the things that trouble me and just worry what's at hand. 

[Torgo]

We had so much lawn to keep mantained at the house that I grew up in and lived until I was 23, if we hadn't had a riding lawn mower it would have been a hopeless proposition to try to keep it cut.

I would just put on my walkman, blast the jams and ride around for what seemed like an eternity. 

I used to joke to my friends that it felt like that by the time I got all of the riding, push and trim work done that what I had started on had already grown back up again.   

[Ash]

I agree with Shadow.

I HATE mowing the lawn!

My hatred of mowing the lawn goes back to my childhood where my parents forced it upon me as punishment for when I did something wrong.

We had a regular gas powered push mower.
It was cranky and always took about 10-20 yanks on the pull cord to start the motor.
You could get a workout just by tugging on that pull-cord.
And it had that bubble-push-thing.
You push the little bubble to prime the motor.

We also had two crabapple trees and another giant tree in our front yard.
If you've ever mowed over a random crabapple or a fallen stick or twig, you know that they can shoot out like bullets from under the mower.
I remember as a boy, I would cringe when pushing the mower forward...waiting to hear that BBBRRZZZAT sound and a projectile hitting me in the foot, shin or thigh.

It was worse in the backyard.
In our backyard, there were acorns from the neighbor's tree.  Lots of acorns.
Those hurt even worse.
It got to the point where I would go along and collect them off the ground with my hands before I mowed that area.
Even then, there were always ones I missed...but the mower didn't.

And my parents had one of those mowers that collect all the grass clippings into a giant bag attached to the back.
They would then make me empty all of the clippings into a black plastic lawn bag and take them out to the trash.
If I missed any clippings, they had to be scooped up by hand.

And that was when we lived in town with a relatively small yard.

It got worse when we moved out to the country in Ely, Iowa in early 1992.
(I would've been 17 at the time)
My parents bought 5 acres.
90% of which is covered by grass.

Yes, they made me use the riding lawn mower as punishment.
There are several spots on those 5 acres where the incline is so steep, you fear the mower will surely tip over.
It can be quite an experience...leaning all of your weight to one side.

I suppose if mowing the lawn had been made a positive experience to me when I was young, I wouldn't mind it so much today.
Oh well.  shrugs

[Jack]

Our lawn is a royal pain in the butt to mow.  We're on a hillside and the lawn is a series of terraces.  On the front terrace next to the street I go from one end to the other, then drag the mower backwards to where I started since it's too narrow to turn around, and of course it's just a little too wide to get with two passes so it's back-and-forth again just to get that last 8 inches.  The main part of the front yard is really steep and I have to push the mower straight up the steepest part of the hill on one side.  In the back I thought I was clever when I put the edging around the garden because I made sure the mower would fit between there with room to spare.  Of course now the grape tomato plant has gotten 8 feet high and is sticking out 3 feet into my path, and the peas on the other side get snagged on the mower handle.  Once I make it through there I get to go back and forth about twice for a little chunk of yard, then it's back through the tomato jungle.  And since it's on a side-hill, the wheels of the mower dig into the grass and tear it up - no matter how damned careful I am - and then the wife is always suggesting I put some grass seed over those areas, which means I have to water the damned thing every freakin' day for a month or so.  In one spot I have to turn the mower off, lift it up a 4 foot wall, do my back-and-forth thing for a 3 foot wide section of lawn, then pick the mower up again and set it back down beneath the wall.  Another spot I have to turn the mower off, lift it up on one front wheel and turn it around 180 degrees to get into another crummy little patch of lawn, then reverse the whole procedure to get back. 

So, no...not a favorite chore of mine.