The process of mowing is mesmerizing. Soothing, even.
And it's a really satisfying activity, because there is such contrast between the "before" and the "after." This is especially true if you only mow every few weeks, which is what I do - not by choice but because of competing priorities.
Boy you guys are really making me miss lawns. The best we get to do here is to weed wack the weeds.
Before the virus, my landlord was seriously considering getting some artificial turf for the backyard. That stuff has come a long way and it's popular around here. It makes for a nice change from the usual dirt-and-rock xeriscaping.
It's a chore. No enjoyment from it. I am in the middle of town. Takes me about 1.25 hours to weedwack and mow and do it well. Always tweaking watering times to try and minimize growth and preventing it's browning. I got too much other more fun stuff I would rather do. As far as other things that are far more relaxing...I will start with archery and fishing in the summertime
I have 3.36 acres. About an acre was overgrown with yaupon. Took me three hours with a rider with a 54" deck to mow the mow-able part. The trimmer head has been replaced with a brush blade. I have the yaupon whittled down to about half an acre. The rest is on hold until the burn ban is lifted. Maybe I should go rent a brush mower to chop it up and leave it lay.
But yes, it is an escape. Little mental effort, not really all that strenuous. Put on some classic rock and go.
I hate mowing at home. Next year I intend to plant wild flowers in all the hard to reach areas that normally require a weed wacker to get into. I live in town so if I just let it go unmowed I will eventually get a warning, Right now all the hard to reach spots are thistle and wild cucumber, I think they are quite pretty but I doubt my neighbors agree. I view my lawn as a utilitarian space where I can work on things store things and drive on otherwise I would make every bit of it garden/orchard or wildflowers.
I have thought of planting the majority of the yard with a no-mow mix, but I don't think it would go over so well in town. If I lived out of town I would mow a very small yard around the house and any other area I want open would be a no-mow mix that would need to be mowed once a years but still be usable as a utilitarian yard.
I like mowing... sort of. I push mow the front and around the garden and the back and around the back yard fence. Everything else gets bush-hogged. Push mowing is exercise. Not a bad thing. Walking on the uneven ground doesn't hurt my back/hip like walking for exercise does. I like bush-hogging too... nobody bothers me. I can see what I accomplished. It's not a bad time unless it's stupid hot out there... if it is, the heat and the exhaust makes it sort of rough.
I love mowing. I brush hog the woods and field for fire supression, and around the house with a push mower for looks. I can mow for hours, it is mesmerizing, thoughtless but satisfying work. Gets me out in the sun because one can never have enough freckles, liver spots and sun damage, and lets me check out the property really well on a regular basis.
Wee eatering, not so much, as it hurts my upper back. But I do it, every other time I mow. I weed eat the weeds and grass down to the dirt so it takes longer to need doing again.
I enjoy it until that unexpected thud thump... I raised the setting on my mower and now have happy bunnies.
EDIT-------------
Those are survivors in case you wondered. I placed a potted fern next to the clutch for some extra sun protection and mamma rabbit kept coming in the evenings.
Our home is on 1/2 acre lot and gets mowed once a week when the grass is growing. The 'yard' at our property is about 1/4 acre and gets mowed once a month +/- when the grass is growing. It's about all I want to mess with.
I bought a new mower but after using it for an hour or so the Mrs complained that it was too hard to push. When I showed her that by pulling up on the lower handle the Self Propelled Mower would be much easier to use than the old machine she got a bit upset by my not having shown her how to do that before she started.
Nah, she sees the funny side of it now. Mostly because she started mowing while I was working down in the chook pen and didn't bother to ask if there was anything different about the new machine. Mind you, because of the things I either do or don't do I'm usually in the sh1t anyway and only the depth varies.
I mow several acres of pasture and vineyard with my grasshopper 721D with a 61 inch front deck. It relaxes me very much since it is not demanding physically or mentally. Time to myself is very good at times!
Are you guys that find mowing fun and relaxing the same guys I have seen on the Web wearing a leather mask while having some 6 foot chick in spiked heels walk on your junk while smacking you with a riding crop? Enjoying mowing just isn't natural.
Personally I like to "naturalize" my acreage. It's mostly woods except where they cleared a spot for the crane in front and the septic field in back.
@Bidadisandat you have three right idea of how to get the lawn done!
I mow 3 acres every other week but i live in the woods .It takes 2.5 hrs on my jd rider with a 60 inch cut. Another 1 hr to regrade the driveway i do that every other week . Head phones help take my mind off all the bs going on now .
Nah... I just like it for the peace and quiet. Strangely enough, sitting behind a diesel engine is quiet. No TV, no barking dogs, no screaming grand kid, no wife nagging or whatever. I'm getting stuff done that needs to be done, and she can't gripe about that even though it may not be what SHE wanted done. So anyway... mowing ends in about 8 weeks for the most part. Then I have to get other stuff done instead. I'd rather mow.
I used to like to run the weedeater. But now that we fenced in 5 acres, I have to do the fenceline about every 3-4 mowings. That sucks a lot. Hurts the back... takes a long time but I try to do it over 2 evenings. Run a tank of gas and quit. Same thing next evening.
I used to like to run the weedeater. But now that we fenced in 5 acres, I have to do the fenceline about every 3-4 mowings. That sucks a lot. Hurts the back... takes a long time but I try to do it over 2 evenings. Run a tank of gas and quit. Same thing next evening.
Yes I enjoy it has a calming effect just riding around the yard. 2 acres minus the garden areas. Except having to go back over the random patches of bahaigrass that refuse to get cut. I don't think there is a blade made that is tough enough for bahaigrass.
My mowing area in Tennessee takes five hours with a 50 inch deck. The slope of the land is like a gentle ski resort and the hard soil produces a ride so rough the cut off switch in the seat cuts off and on. The "grass" under the trees is so thin that the mower discharge is usually a mix of dead leaves, dust and chopped up weeds.
I'll agree mowing a smooth flat heathy lawn is relaxing. In contrast, doing yard work at my cabin in Tennessee is hard even with a 25 HP rider.
I don't mow or weedwhack, if I can help it.. That's what the cattle and goats are for. Had a friend comment how nice and even the grass/weeds were. The "self propelled mowers" do a great job mowing and clearing the brush, plus it cuts down the feed bill.
I love mowing my grass. I only have a little over an acre, but I so enjoy the tranquility of mowing. Just me and my John Deere lawn tractor and trying to make straight lines in a yard with lots of trees! I don't like bringing out the self-propelled walk-behind to do under the big evergreens or where I can't get the mower but I deal with it.
I used to cut the grass when I was a kid living at home but when hubby and I got married we moved into a condo. Stayed there for 30 years and the grass was cut by the HOA. When he passed and I bought this house, I got to cut grass again. (and snowblow)
I don't dig mowing. Our house was in the center of an acre lot surrounded by hay fields. So our yard was a hay field too. I swear I could push the mower and look behind me and see that bahia shoot up new sprouts. So all I and my brother did was push a lawnmower. When my dad got killed when I was 10 mom bought us a riding lawnmower and life was a lot easier.
I don't think mowing with a rider is that much of a hardship and see how it might be kinda enjoyable. Outside doing something useful without breaking your back.
My land is hilly so I don't enjoy mowing but I have grass not lawn so when it's freshly cut, it looks neat, for a few days anyway.
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