Tonight Josh and I went over to mow my grandmas lawn. I'm a bit behind. The spring softball season makes keeping up a little tough, but I manage.
I first learned to mow my grandpa's now grandma's, lawn when I was about 9 years old. We lived with my grandparents at the time. My grandpa was the type of guy who believed kids should have 'chores' and they should 'earn their stay'. He was a hard working man. "Money didn't grow on trees." Heard that one a lot.
Now my grandpa planted most of his yard from sod. He treated it like an expensive sports car. We were never allowed to even WALK on the front lawn, not even in October when trick or treating. We had to use the road. In the mornings and most evening, Grandpa would be out in the yard watering the lawn with the hose by hand. He'd spray and spray for hours. I can still picture him waving to the walking neighbors. The lawn was his pride and joy. Everyone knew it.
When it was finally time to mow, my grandpa would check the lawn three to four times throughout the morning to make sure the dew was gone. It had to be the perfect time. It couldn't be to wet because then the grass would collect underneath and the blade would rust. As a child, I thought this was normal mowing protocol. Who knew?!
When the mower was finally taken out of the shed, the routine maintenance would occur. Everything from checking the oil to adjusting the height of the wheels was done. "You can't mow it too short or it will create brown spots and the grass will die." That would be awful. I still worry about killing the grass if I changed the height.
As I began to mow there was a certain way you had to cut each week. He taught me to over lap so you didn't leave any unmowed strips of grass. You always raked ALL the clippings and put them in the plastic barrel. Always. When I mowed, he watched. Talk about pressure. One time, I was about 10 and I missed a large strip of grass. After I was all done, he pointed it out to me and made me start the back lawn all over again. He said, "this will help you slow down and make sure you don't forget to over lap the tires." His yard would look perfect if it took him (or me) all day.
After mowing, a whole other process then occurred. The cleaning process!! The mower was to be wheeled over to the burning barrel and flipped on its side (so the oil didn't run into the gas...was that possible?) and then a special tool was used to scrape all the grass out from underneath. Finally, the mower got sprayed with the hose and left in the sun to air dry.
Sometime Grandpa would pay me for my work. Other times he said he let me live under his roof. So I never argued. He was a nice guy though. When we moved out and before I had my license, he would pick me up to go mow his lawn. He'd repeat the same rules and steps to me until I was... oh about 20! When we were done, we'd always stop at Wendy's for the single combos. Grandpa loved those burgers. He'd say it was the one fast food worth his money.
Tonight Josh helped me with opening day since the grass was so long. I always think of grandpa when I mow. I smiled tonight as I poured the gas. I may not go through the exact processes now, but I never miss a strip of grass. :) I'm sure he curses me when I don't flip the mower over after each mow. Sorry Grandpa.
I've always enjoyed mowing my grandparents lawn. It reminds me of my childhood. It's my thinking time. Today, I am thankful for opening day.
