Do It Myself

The temperature has been nudging above 60F (15C) on some sunny days lately. This means that babies are starting to explore, Vera’s Bleeding Heart is in bloom, and the lilacs are starting to blossom. I’m looking forward to air filled with the latter’s perfume as the hedges surrounding me are covered in purple.

There’s always a downside of course. My grass has started to grow … at a phenomenal rate.

I like to have a tidy yard – not always achievable but always desired. I’m a little more self-conscious about it here because almost the entire population of the Island goes by at least once a week and they all seem to care. Not in a judging way. It’s more of a “that poor woman, her grass hasn’t been cut” way.

People ask me about it when they walk by, when they see me in the store (any store in any city), in fact when I’m just out taking pics I wind up having conversations about my lawn.

A friend of mine has been working on his boat down in the Harbour. Men stop by just to ask when he’s going to get my grass cut. They care. It’s nice of them but it puts a lot of pressure on me.

This week we decided to take a short break from other chores and deal with the problem. It was time to harvest my crop.

He borrowed a riding mower and gave me a short lesson in its operation. I swore when I moved here that I would never mow another lawn – after decades of doing something I hated it wasn’t going to happen again. Then I tried this little beauty.

I’m in love. Oh it’s not ideal – you don’t expect power steering but my sternum is getting a real workout. I’m sure its good for me. Also this is not a flat property – I keep thinking I’m going to tip it or fall off, but so far so good. Someday I’ll get one of my own. In the meantime this sweet thing is a lot of fun and people have stopped asking us about my grass. Thanks to their interest though I have a new hobby. 🙂