Here’s a picture of my yard (courtesy of Google Street View).
As you can see I have a treacherous slope in the front yard. It’s actually more dangerous in person. We finally got around to our first attempt at lawn mowing yesterday. We pulled the lawnmower out of the shed and, of course, it wouldn’t start. Our neighbor (who’s lawn is immaculate) came over, offered us a spark plug and even offered to let us borrow his push mower. I think he’s a little anxious for us to get on the ball with the lawn care.
Personally, I don’t have the time, ambition or know-how for fixing a loud, smelly, gas engine powered lawnmower. So, I had John drive me out to Home Depot where I could buy an old fashioned reel mower:
So, I think I like it. John did the majority of the mowing, I did the hill. It’s definitely safer and lighter on the hill than the cuts-off-your-leg-if-you’re-not-careful gas mower. We let the grass get a little too long, though, and that’s a problem. It won’t really cut anything over 5 inches tall. Also, the smallest little stick gets stuck in it and stops it completely. John thinks we should get the gas mower serviced so we can use it everywhere except on the hill. I think that’s a good idea, but I just don’t feel like I have the time or the ambition.
What I’d really like to do is turn the hill into some sort of super-low maintenance garden that doesn’t require mowing, doesn’t look like crap, and won’t cost an arm and a leg. Anyone have any ideas? Did I mention that it’s almost impossible to dig on the hill because of the huge trees? Yeah, it is.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my landscaping woes.
