Grass Cutting Time . . .

. . . But No More for Me

As the countdown began about three years ago, and age began to mount, it was not too hard to begin the process of letting tenants and later owners mow acres of high grass on their newly-purchased properties.

But there was a problem. They didn't move in with lawnmowers, either reel type, power type or riding machines.

So good-hearted me took it upon myself to mow the properties a few times a month with the hope that the tenants or new owners would soon get their own equipment.

I'll start at the beginning when I first moved "up north" from downtown
in 1991 to a newly-purchased acre with a mobilehome. The grass was high, thick and dead, a fire hazard. Mowing with an 18-inch power mower was getting the job done but only a litle at a time.

After watching a couple days from his back porch, a neighbor named Don Bingham came to my front door and said he had a riding mower for sale, used, for $400. I bought it.

Daughter Scrabblebuff was staying at the house at the time with her family. She volunteered to do some of the grass cutting. Seeing her scooting around on the mower was a hoot.

She mowed my acre and then moved onto the adjacent lot, then houseless, and had a ball. Dressed, I think, in jeans and wearing a cowboy hat, she careened at high speed around the lot in circles, raising enough dust probably seen for a mile

CT lives across the street from my still-owned house (although I'm now downtown again) and she took on his place as well until she and the family headed back to Germany.

Now to make a long story short, that lot next door then with a house on it, and two more lots with houses, came into our possession, one of which we occupied and rented two. One more vacant lot was acquired and a mobilehome was moved onto it also as a rental.

Now there were five acres to be mowed. Over the years of necessary mowing, (to keep down the fire hazard in our ever-windy area), and with the appreciated help of CT, I've managed to go through three riding lawnmowers, the last of which is still in use on my original property and by CT at his place.

As of this week mowing except for my original lawn is a bygone. New owners are on their own. Did you hear that people, you are are your own! Glad you're all half or so my age - I'm bushed ,

- 30 -