My South | Mowing grass the one chore I can still appreciate
Like most people my age, I started doing chores early in life. Some tasks were more enjoyable than others. It seems like as soon as I could stand unassisted and understand the words my mama said, I had daily chores — hauling scuttles full of fireplace ashes out to the ash pile each morning in winter and emptying the slop-jar (if you don’t know what that is, look it up) were two chores delegated to me. Apparently both my older siblings had this chore in the past, so my whining fell on deaf ears.
As I grew older, the chores changed. One chore that felt almost like a privilege was mowing grass. I loved mowing grass.
Each spring when the sun got warm, my dad and I would load the old lawnmower up and take it to the local mechanic for servicing. Cecil Kitchen was a wizard with all things mechanical. In a few hours he’d have the engine tuned and the blade as sharp as a scythe.
Every few weeks I’d top off the tank, pull the crank and the old beast would spring to life and buzz like a mechanical bee.
After a few rounds, I’d almost always fall into a zen state. The drone of the engine, the aroma of freshly mowed grass along with the warm sun on my shoulders felt a little like heaven.
I’ve always been fascinated with patterns, and, as a result, I cut our yard into squares, rectangles, parallelograms and pentagons. Each round made the design a little smaller.
In high school I earned extra money cutting grass for people in our community. Word spread fast, and my business boomed. Most summer evenings when I returned home after a day of cutting grass, my bones were weary, which made it easy to sleep at night.
I had two clients with front yards so steep that mowing the usual way was impossible. I solved this problem creatively by tying a rope around the frame of the mower and lowering it up and down the embankments. By summer’s end, my arms looked as if I’d been lifting weights. Some of my friends gained weight over the summer vacation, but I was as thin as a reed.
After retirement, my knees began giving me fits, so I broke down and bought a riding lawnmower.
I feared riding would take the enjoyment out of the chore, but it took the experience to the next level. It doesn’t give me as much exercise as the old push method did, but it has other benefits like a cup holder for water -- or adult beverages.
Another thing I enjoy about the chore of mowing grass is that at the end of the day, I can look over my work and get a sense that I’ve accomplished something.
I’m thankful that indoor plumbing made slop-jars obsolete, except for antique dealers, because that’s one chore I wouldn’t wish on any child. But mowing grass is one summer chore I think most young people would enjoy if given the chance.
Rick Watson is a columnist and author. His latest book, “Life Changes,” is available on Amazon.com. You can email at rick@homefolkmedia.com.