Human Powered Lawnmower!
I am torn on the purpose and value of a green lawn. It seems like it is just to keep up appearances and fit into a cultural ideal. Time could be better spent doing something else besides mowing, weeding, and managing a lawn. Let's not even discuss the amount of water, chemicals (if you use them) and habitat that are used up for outdoor carpet-like space. But, I must say I like the look of a manicured lawn with lots of flowers around it. I've lived in places that had humongous lawns that would take at least 2 or 3 hours to mow and it was during that time that I would seriously contemplate the value of a green lawn. Then I bought this farm and it has a tiny little patch of lawn. Just the perfect size to appreciate and lay down on while watching clouds.
But it does need to be mowed. If I were to forgo mowing altogether I'd rather have native flowers and shrubs. But since it is grass, we gotta mow. Now, I don't really like the loud and smelly lawn mowers that you see and hear all across America. They are expensive and waste gas. If I am going to maintain a spot of land that has no real purpose other than to look pretty, I might want to minimize the impact of that decision and not use a non-renewable fuel source to power some blades. So we went all retro and got the new hip thing - a human powered mower. Some people call them 'reel mowers'.
We found one at a local pawn shop and the owner said he gets quite a few in now that the price of gas went back down. Lucky for us!The one we got looked as if it had been used maybe once or twice. Now I love mowing the lawn. It only takes about 15 minutes because of the size of the lawn and there is no noise or smell!
What I cannot understand is that some folks say these mowers are harder to use than a powered one because you have to use your own energy. That hasn't been my experience at all. In fact, I find it easier. This thing weighs about 1/2 of what a gas mower weighs so I have a lot less to push around. I wish more folks would discover the joy of using one of these old fashioned mowers. I saved a ton of money buying the thing ($70 versus more than $150 or $200 for gas mowers). Maintenance involves sharpening the blades every year or so which you should do with a gas mower too. I have no gas to buy and therefore no chance to run out of fuel in the middle of mowing. I experience less noise so I can listen to birds singing or the wind in the trees when I mow. I no longer breath in nasty gas fumes. And I get the satisfaction of knowing my irrational need for a lawn is causing less harm to the environment. Yippee!
But it does need to be mowed. If I were to forgo mowing altogether I'd rather have native flowers and shrubs. But since it is grass, we gotta mow. Now, I don't really like the loud and smelly lawn mowers that you see and hear all across America. They are expensive and waste gas. If I am going to maintain a spot of land that has no real purpose other than to look pretty, I might want to minimize the impact of that decision and not use a non-renewable fuel source to power some blades. So we went all retro and got the new hip thing - a human powered mower. Some people call them 'reel mowers'.
We found one at a local pawn shop and the owner said he gets quite a few in now that the price of gas went back down. Lucky for us!The one we got looked as if it had been used maybe once or twice. Now I love mowing the lawn. It only takes about 15 minutes because of the size of the lawn and there is no noise or smell!
What I cannot understand is that some folks say these mowers are harder to use than a powered one because you have to use your own energy. That hasn't been my experience at all. In fact, I find it easier. This thing weighs about 1/2 of what a gas mower weighs so I have a lot less to push around. I wish more folks would discover the joy of using one of these old fashioned mowers. I saved a ton of money buying the thing ($70 versus more than $150 or $200 for gas mowers). Maintenance involves sharpening the blades every year or so which you should do with a gas mower too. I have no gas to buy and therefore no chance to run out of fuel in the middle of mowing. I experience less noise so I can listen to birds singing or the wind in the trees when I mow. I no longer breath in nasty gas fumes. And I get the satisfaction of knowing my irrational need for a lawn is causing less harm to the environment. Yippee!
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