A week or two into the series
by Richard G. Mills
Mow, Mow, Mow Your Lawn On a Tractor Built for You!
When you're about to move from a condo in the city to a house in the
suburbs, one of the first things you have to think about buying (assuming
you already own a car) is a lawn mower. Now, you've spent more than you
meant to on your house (the best laid plans...), and you bought that extra
furniture, and you still have your moving expenses (those, too, will be
more than you budgeted), so you should really by an inexpensive mower --
preferably a push one, if they still make such things, right?
Of course, you wanted a big back yard for your dog (oops, another
expense: it has to be fenced in), so you have 90 feet by 70 feet (let's
see, that's, uh, 6300 square feet!) to mow, not counting the front yard nor
that big expanse of Com Ed land behind your back yard. Well, a push mower
is definitely out!
And, knowing you, that is to say, knowing me, if it isn't fun, it isn't
going to get done -- at least, not as often as it should be. Yes, a push
mower is definitely out! In fact, a motorized push mower is probably not
going to seem like much fun, either. What about a self-propelled motorized
mower?....
Then again, what about a tractor! Yes! That's fun! A tractor! I
remember when I was in high school and we moved out in the country to a
house we built on an acre and three quarters, my father had a tractor
mower. It was the first time since I first was told to mow the lawn that I
actually enjoyed it! Putt-a-putt-putt-vroomm! A tractor!
Of course 6300-plus-some square feet isn't exactly an acre and three
quarters, and tractor mowers aren't exactly cheap; maybe I should stick
with a simple gasoline-powered lawn mower...or maybe a rider mower! Yes, a
rider mower! That's cheaper than a tractor, and it would still be fun!
So it's off to Sears and Ward's to look at rider mowers. Ah, here they
are. Rider mowers. Hmmm. They look sort of tiny, don't they? Kind of
like a kiddie cart. You'd look sort of silly putting around on that thing.
Well, over there's one that looks a little sturdier, and...
Hey! Look at that! A tractor! I guess it wouldn't hurt to look. Now,
this is a rider mower!.... Hey, this one even looks more like a
tractor.... Wow, look at this one!
Now, it wasn't entirely my fault that I bought a tractor mower that just
barely fits through the front gate in my fence. The second place I went
had a shift-on-the-fly tractor mower on sale for less than what the first's
stop-to-shift mower cost, and it was a little bigger. And I also had a
credit card with them. And, when they went to write it up, they discovered
they were out of that tractor, so they upgraded me to the next size for the
same price. So I really made out! Saved a lot of money. Well, maybe not
a lot over the cost of a rider mower, or a regular power mower, ...or a
push mower.... But, anyhow, it's fun!
So now I drive my tractor around, mowing my yard. It may be a bit of
overkill, especially in the front yard. On the other hand, when the farmer
rides by on the other side of the Com Ed land, my tractor doesn't look so
big. In fact, I probably look a little silly, putting around on that
little thing....
Well, I don't care: it's fun!
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