Even dandy’s can be lovely. The honey bees think so! My lawn, in spring, abounds with them.

Since I am home all day … every day … ugh, I have taken over the lawn care and landscaping responsibilities. It seems only fair, since D works hard every day to bring home the bacon,  I manage the house and all that entails. I enjoy mowing the lawn, sometimes. It’s a chance to be outside. I get some exercise, sun and a chance to listen to my podcasts or audio books. The only real problem is the size of our yard. It’s three quarters of an acre with a plethora of dandelions, onions, clover and in some places actual grass. Most of it is level but it does slope down the back which by the end of the three hours of mowing can be a bear.

Now we do have a riding mower (aka the beast) that is nearly 25 years old. The tires won’t stay inflated so before you can even fire the beast up you have to get the tire pump out and inflate them. The blades are so dull that I’m pretty sure they only cut the grass because the of the circular motion (that is if you can get them to actually work). The exhaust is so bad on this thing I feel guilty every time I try to fire the beast up. That is if I can actually get the beast to even start. Half the time it won’t start and if it does I can usually get one or two swipes of the yard mowed before it dies and it has to set for 30 minutes before it will start again. Needless to say it is not an ideal mowing machine. As a result, I end up push mowing with my Rachel propelled mower. It takes three hours on a good day. If it’s hot it can take up to four.

Having said all of this … my biggest complaint is that D won’t pop for new tires or maintenance on the beast. I think that since he’s not having to do the work it’s not important to him how it gets done. He winks at me and says,”But the exercise is so good for you, think of how good you’ll look at the end of summer!”  ARAAARRRAGGGGH! New tires will cost $102.00. Which may sound like a lot but seriously in the grand scheme of things that’s a pittance.

So, my question to you dear followers, how do I get my dear sweet husband to help me get our mowing apparatus into working order? I’m not asking for a new riding mower. I would be happy to stare with new tires.

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