Grass

We have had a lot of rain here lately. And as a result the grass, if left unattended, is frightfully long. I raised the mower height a bit. Then more. And finally, to its highest position. I thought, "I'll probably have to mow this again to a shorter height. Crap! Maybe even tomorrow." Still, I dug in. Taking it slow. Letting my Troy-Bilt 6.75hp kick out clumps of chewed up grass. It was not too bad in some parts. And excessively long in others. I actually like to mow the lawn. But I hate it when the grass is this long. My mood darkened. Then, I became self-conscious. It was around lunch time and the people in my neighborhood who drove by looked and I read their expressions, "He's finally mowing!" "What a slug!" "What took you so long, fella?" "My lawn looks great compared to yours!" And so on. But I kept at it, knowing that what I was doing was the right thing. And of course I chose the hottest part of this sunny day to mow this field. I tried to distract myself with the project itself. I studied the different weeds (yes weeds) as I chomped them to a manageable size. Some had flowered. Some were simply long strands. But I kept at it. About a quarter done. Then, half. Then, I noticed people driving by were smiling. I again read their expressions, "Hey! He's finally mowing that lawn!" "Nice job!" Still, I worried about my Troy-Bilt as it battled the thickest grass of the whole field. But we pushed on together. And people smiled more. Then, as I was just about done, I ran out of gas. I thought, "Good enough!" Even more smiles. And even I smiled.

Fact is, it wasn't my lawn. I was mowing it for a family that had moved out months ago who were still trying to sell it. It's a grand salt box, actually.

No praise here. Please. I'm just glad I have such a dependable Troy-Bilt. And just enough gas. Well, almost enough. Still, there will always be grass to mow, yes? Enough to share.