Mowing the Meadow

Our lawn mower died. It was second-hand to begin with, nothing fancy and probably underpowered for the size of our lawn and the slope of the front yard, but it did the job. We didn’t have the means to run right out and buy a shiny new one so we’ve been getting by and making do to keep the front yard presentable.

We borrowed a mower but it sputtered and choked and Joe only managed a couple of passes across the lawn . I came home the next evening to discover a wonderful neighbor mowing the lawn after witnessing Joe struggling with the borrowed mower the evening before.

The lawn was just getting unruly again and I was wondering who to impose on by borrowing their mower when a gentleman pulled up one afternoon as I was getting ready to leave the house with the boys, looking for work and asking if he could mow my lawn. We talked for a few minutes, he’s from the area originally and just moved back, hadn’t found a job yet, etc. It needed done, he needed the cash, win-win! I told him he had a deal, that I was getting ready to head out, and gave him my name and cell phone number in case he needed to reach me. He asked when I would be back so he could get paid and I told him I would pay him now, before I left. He looked surprised, like he wasn’t used to being trusted. He did an amazing job and left a home-made flier advertising his availability as a handyman as well. I’ve saved it for when we’re ready (meaning have the money) to do some repairs that need done around here that are outside the range of our skills (meaning more advanced than changing a lightbulb or painting a wall).

All this time, the back yard hasn’t been touched. It’s a bit overgrown, to put it mildly. The grass is nearly 5′ high in some places.

For reference, that's a 6' fence surrounding the yard.

I’ve begun referring to it as “the meadow”. Joe prefers to call it “the savannah”, which makes me fear that there may be a lion under the trampoline, just waiting to pounce on Bella the wonder Chihuahua at the first opportunity. I think Deezle would totally throw her under the bus, or under the deck as it were, to save his own ass should a pride of wildcats attack. Or some angry meerkats. What is a group of meerkats called? And is it meerkats or meerkat? Meerkitties?

Deezle emerges from the meadow with a shredded stuffed animal. And probably a couple dozen ticks.

Every time I look into the backyard, I hear the theme from Little House on the Prairie and I long to recreate the intro where the girls are running through the meadow. Preferably while wearing something like this.

Easter 1976

This is me and my sisters, I’m on the left. Did you have one of those mothers that had a compulsion to dress you and your siblings in identical clothing? In identical, bizarre clothing from eras gone by? In identical, bizarre, handmade, clothing from eras gone by?

Here’s what I remember about those dresses. They were heavy and very hot, especially with the separate eyelet pinafores on top. And my mother insisted that to be historically accurate, we had to wear the hats forward so that our faces were completely shaded by the…I don’t know what you call it…the brim? So we had tunnel vision and couldn’t see a damn thing within three feet of us in any direction. In mom’s defense though, they really were gorgeous dresses and she put a lot of time and effort into them!

We bought a new lawnmower yesterday and Joe is working on taming the backyard today. I’ll share after photos soon. If he’s not trampled by a heard of elephants or anything.