Not So Silent Spring

Spring has arrived in eastern Massachusetts. How can I tell? The early migraters are back. I heard the first rusty caroling of a robin just the other day. The crocuses are up. The snow and ice are gone. Hints of green are everywhere. But none of those things say "Spring" like the roaring drone of small internal combustion engines.

As early as 8:15 this morning the landscaping crew arrived to begin the spring clean-up on the massive lawn of our friend and neighbor's yard. I counted at least one riding mower and four backpack leaf blowers. The relentless drone went on for nearly an hour.

I was reminded that I have about eight months of this noise ahead of me and I am reminded how sick and tired I am of it. I've ranted about this before and I won't repeat myself here. I'll simply say that I dream of a day when we, as a society, see how stupid we have been regarding the pointless waste and pollution we create in our mindless quest for the perfect suburban lawn.

Mower Update

My good friend and most loyal blog reader Wayne saw my post about the crummy push mower I gave up on and gave me one of his to try. (Thanks, Wayne!) This is an American (brand name) mower and it seems to work much better than the imported toy I threw away. This one is heavier, wider and has larger diameter wheels. The reel and cutting bar seem much more solid.

I used it for the first time today and, while not as clean-cutting as my power rotary mower, it does a pretty good job. This time of year, when it's warm and dry, the lawn doesn't grow much and tends to get spotty as different weeds respond differently to the weather and the lawn grasses slow in growth. So, even the most effective mower won't make the lawn look great. I'm finding these manual mowers have a tendency to push some grass blades over without cutting them, leaving an unsightly stubble that make the effort feel a little futile. Also, since I'm low on the learning curve, I don't know how sharp or dull this used mower is. A quick search on the web yielded a couple of sites that provide instructions on how to sharpen a manual reel mower. It seems fairly easy to do, so I'll give it a shot, probably before next mowing season.

This exploration of alternative lawn care may be suffering from artificially elevated expectations. Decades of high-input industrial lawn care has altered our view about what a lawn should look like. Thanks to advertising and social pressure, we all have come desire lawns that look like the Fenway Park outfield. Maybe even the best I can hope for with a push mower, no watering and minimal chemical inputs will look a little ragged. Maybe I should just fence in the yard and get a goat.

Trying To Do The Right Thing

Does this happen to anyone but me? I come up with great ideas and noble intentions all the time, but being an inveterate procrastinator, my great plans often fall by the wayside, unrealized. In spite of myself, every once in a while, I actually get my act together long enough to follow through on one of my brainstorms, only to have my effort thwarted by some unforeseen roadblock. At times, it feels like the story of my life.

We have a pretty small in-town suburban lot and only a fraction of that is in lawn. I often ponder the wasteful folly of big suburban lawns with the inputs of energy, water and chemicals they demand. Wanting my actions to be more consistent with my beliefs, if I have to have a lawn at all, I thought it would be appropriate and sensible to get a manual push mower.

I used a $100 gift certificate to a garden supply catalog store from my generous sister to buy a Ginge Comfort 38 mower. To be blunt, it's a piece of crap. It simply would not neatly cut the grass. Even after three or four passes, the lawn looked ragged and unkempt. Now, I'm pretty handy and not afraid of a little physical effort, but no amount of tinkering with blade settings or vigorous pushing would cut the grass neatly and efficiently.

The mower sat unused in my shed for a couple of years, a constant reminder of yet another personal failure. Last week, I took it out for one last try, only to find two different plastic parts on the mower broken. I unceremoniously tossed it on my pile of scrap metal. At least it felt good to bring closure to another failed enterprise.

I'd love to hear from a reader that can recommend a quality, satisfying push mower.

On the bright side, one of my little plans is literally bearing fruit. I had an interest in gardening years ago, but the yield never seemed worth the investment. This year, I dipped my toe back in. I filled four 5-gallon buckets with compost, planted Sweet 100 tomato seedlings and put the buckets on the deck. Now, in mid-August, we have a nice cupful of ripe, sweet, cherry tomatoes for every salad.

Every once in a while, even a blind hog finds an acorn.