Being at 2100 feet on the northwest side of the mountain which continues to climb to approximately 2500 feet to our southeast, the sun doesn't get to the Aerie until an hour or more after official sunrise. Therefore, we don't get the strong, heating effects of the sun until about 2 pm. With 50% chance of rain forecast for Sunday, I decided to cut the dandelions--I mean grass this morning.
Love the self propelled walk behind mower! Hardest part of cutting the grass is setting the speed to a level I can keep up with. Still have to manhandle it around shrubs and on certain slopes, but, like I said, it's mostly just trying to keep up with the darn thing. Oh, and emptying when it gets full. When the weeds are as tall as the were this morning there;s no option but to bag the clippings. Mulching just won't do. If I can get to cut it ever seven days, then the stuff isn't too tall and I can just mulch it. Today was more like two weeks plus since I last mowed.
I took my time. I stopped frequently to empty the bag of clippings and took a water/Gator Ade break every hour. It took me close to four hours to get the job done. When I don't have to empty the bag--or take so many breaks, it takes me between two and a half and three hours.
Fitbit says I did approximately 14 thousand steps but my iPhone Health ap says it was just over 5 thousand. Either way I walked a lot!
I enjoy cutting the lawn. It's pretty much a mindless task.Just start the mower and walk along behind it. Not much to think about as the terrain of the yard sorta dictates the path pattern you can take. When I used to cut the grass up at the cabin I had a huge, square area that allowed me to cut zigzag following one side of the square or diagonally from one corner to the opposite corner. Alternating the direction you take from cutting to the next is supposed to be better for the grass. Here at the Aerie, where things are more or less terraced and contoured to the hillside, diagonal cuts are out of the question. It's mostly just back and forth along the contour.
Now I'm tired and ready for a shower, but I got'er done! That's what counts.
1 comment:
Our yard (1/2 acre) looks easy to cut, but it was poorly reclaimed from the forest. Lots of root clusters, shoots, high spots, and many trees, and not even close to "level". It takes awhile.
Good job getting yours done.
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