My back yard is a mess. It's been chopped and hacked because I was too busy and/or it was too hot to cut it. I think I mentioned that my youngest son tried a few weeks ago, but wasn't able to get the mower through the mess. The circuit breaker tripped every time he tried. He tore the high grass down in some parts. I guess it looked better. Yesterday, my middle son was here and he said, "Mom, if you got a decent mower I'd be happy to cut your grass. Well, I wouldn't be 'happy' -- I'd hate every fucking minute of it -- but I'd do it." (Remember, he is the only one of my sons who curses in my presence, and usually I play along. I really don't care anymore, and I will curse too if it's appropriate or funny in the context.) Maybe you wonder why everyone hates my lawnmower, including me.
When I bought my house, I didn't want to store gasoline in the garage, so I got an electric motor. Trying to cut the grass without chopping through the cord is bad enough, but also the handle is short. That's no good for me, at 5'7" and much worse for my sons at 6'4". It's a real back-killer. Because it is old, and wasn't very powerful to start with, I usually have to mow the entire back yard twice every time I do it. (I pay someone to do the front so I don't have to deal with the militant HOA.) The appeal of a self-propelled gas-powered motor becomes stronger every day. I actually went out to cut it myself earlier this afternoon; the long grass got tangled up in the blades. I unplugged the mower and left it right where it was, in a nicely shorn patch of lawn.
The weird thing about this mower is that it just won't die. I've always left it out in the weather. I've never had the blades sharpened. I have done zero maintenance on it, and yet when I cut the grass on a regular basis, the mower does a fine job. Still, it's time to step up my game. Now that I'm feeling all powerful from my recent handyperson jobs, I'm ready.
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