So this is my first non creative post, and it's one of modest glee, simplicity, and subtle suggestion. I wish to share my satisfaction of the purchase of a reel mower -- you know, the old school motor-less push mower, the kind that your grandparents used. In fact, as my elderly neighbor put it, "That's what we started with." In modest yet opinionated response to that, I say, "That's what I return to." Having been raised on a property in northern Vermont with ample acreage, the power mower was the way to go, especially for a youngster with limited strength or desire to mow the old man's lawn. Yet now as a middle aged dude responsible for the care of an averaged sized single family urban home in SE Portland, OR, I have to say that the reel mower is the way to go. Having used an American made reel mower in the past for a similarly sized lawn in an adjacent neighborhood, I knew the merits of this type of approach to lawn care: low/no noise, no need for gasoline, low environmental impact, good low impact exercise, and low cost. So I decided to go the route of the urbane, progressive, geeky Portland culture nut and purchased a German designed, Czechoslovakian made model named the Gardena 380. Following a week long wait post purchase due to freaking inclement weather, I now write the day following a happy hippy mowing afternoon. It was so sweet, smooth, and gratifying to mow my lawn the old school way, like the feeling one gets while slicing through rush hour traffic on your commuter bike.
My elderly neighbor jokingly said, "I'm telling!" Well, so am I, a tattle on myself, a confession of environmental non guilt, and an admission of geeky pride. Call me old school, wonder at the choice to push a motor-less mower rather than walk behind a self propelled bellowing lawn monster, laugh at my choice of words. Good. That's the way its meant to be . . .
My elderly neighbor jokingly said, "I'm telling!" Well, so am I, a tattle on myself, a confession of environmental non guilt, and an admission of geeky pride. Call me old school, wonder at the choice to push a motor-less mower rather than walk behind a self propelled bellowing lawn monster, laugh at my choice of words. Good. That's the way its meant to be . . .
