Busy day

Phil Nowack

Well-known member
Just got back from 2 weeks in Europe. Went to church, then lunch with the in-laws. Cleaned the garage, and put the damn mower on the tractor. I hate mowing! I had to get it ready for the Mrs to mow, as I will be gone 4 of the next 6 weeks...

Retirement is wasted ..... but not on me! :(
 
Lawns and lawn mowing are the biggest scam force fed on mankind far as I'm concerned. In my younger years I worked for a parks department. Mowed grass five days a week for months. That was enough for me. Never owed a lawn or a lawn mower, way to many better things to do outdoors.
 
Besides fuel there is all the fertilizer and pesticides applied to keep lawns green and lush. It is easy for homeowners to overapply/misapply lawn products that result in increased run-off.

Tom
 
Joe Lincoln had a Canada Goose Pen Lawn Mower on wheels. There is a photo of it on page 7, of the book Joseph W. Lincoln Accord - Massachusetts 1/26/1859-2/16/1938.

He would let the penned geese and goslings feed/cut the grass in one area, and then move it to another. That is waterfowl hunter/decoy carver ingenuity. No need to fertilize either...

The man had his priorities in tune with his lifestyle.
 
I absolutely HATE mowing.. . even with a 72" deck! Yet, I don't mind mowing the pasture, LOL. We never put anything on the lawn for weeds or to motivate more growing. We attempted to not mow most of the yard one year, and it came in full of Canadian thistles! So, we mow.


Paul, was that sarcasm? I was not feeling full of energy or enthusiasm!!!!
 
I have a crazy old uncle that always gives me grief about cutting my lawn. He claims that I'm a thief because there are tons of neighborhood kids in need of $30-$40 for cutting my grass. He claims I might as well rob the neighborhood kids at gunpoint for my selfishness. When you factor in the cost of my riding mower, weedeater, blower, edger, sprayer, fuel, oil, weedeater string, etc., I think he may have a point. The time spent at the task reinforces his claim. Tom, inshore fishing in eastern North Carolina is suffering. I believe we have a much more serious lawn fertilizer and weed killer runoff problem than we realize. As a youngster, I remember quail hunting in eastern NC. We would hunt around Hyde County (way east and low ground). We hunted high-grass areas around field edges and ditch banks. Now, these areas are deemed ugly. Simple aesthetics has killed the primary (and most huntable) quail cover, so now there are no wild birds to even hunt. That grass also protected against a lot of runoff that's now able to easily access our waterways. Vince, you're so right when you call this laborious upkeep a scam!
 
Hey Phil,

Your post reminded me of a blurb I found years ago. Here's a snippet on grass:
GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.

ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it, sometimes twice a week.

GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?

ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.

GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

ST. FRANCIS: No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.

GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it and pay to throw it away?

ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.
 
That is the truth for so many! Most of my "yard" used to be a cattle lot... So no fertilizer... In the spring we usually cut 3x a week... And the is CUTTING 6" or more.
 
Now with my medical issues we may have to find one of those neighborhood kids who will mow the lawn but just try to find one of those spoiled millenial offspring who will work for a buck and do a half assed job. Good luck.
 
Thistle...? Cardoon, Cynara Cardunculus, a edible and tasty perennial that I ate as fast as my grandmothers made them. Springtime dandelion were also a staple in both of my grandparents homes and the wine will make yer eyes cross. Then came Round Up, and ignorance of edible plants (now deemed weeds) and of hard times.
 
No fertilizer, no lime, no weedkiller, and no seeding here. But I do mow most of my 1.5 acres, because if I don't it grows up in thistles, burdock and other stuff I'd prefer not to have around the house. If I could make an instant conversion to nice grove of trees with closed canopy and little underbrush, I'd do it in a minute, but that's something like a 50 year project and I won't be around that long.

Meanwhile, I am converting as much of it as possible to veggies, flowers and some trees, but that does not save me any work . . . . . .
 
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