Mowing The Lawn Is Harder Than You Might Think

Growing up my dad cut the grass.  When he died, my mom hired a neighbourhood teenager to do it for her (my brother is highly allergic to grass, and fresh mown grass can cause an asthma attack, so him doing it wasn't an option). Eventually she hired a yard company to do it for her, and then she took over the job herself a few years ago.

When hubby and I moved into our house, he mowed the grass (and still does)  I can remember him complaining the odd time about having to do it, and I always wondered why. It seemed so simple to me....walk up and down with the mower on and watch out for your feet.

My mom injured herself a few months ago and wasn't able to cut her grass, so I have been doing it for her.  The first time I did it, I realized that it really isn't as easy as it looks.  If you have a perfectly square or rectangular yard, with no obstacles it may be simple.  My mom has a BIG yard.  Her front yard has a garden with curved edges, and also a pine tree.  It isn't too bad to do (but definitely needs a whipper snipper around the garden edging).

The backyard, however, is not so simple.  There is a hill in the middle of the yard, so that makes it a bit tricky, and there are a few gardens along the fence, and then in the middle of the top part of the yard as well. Add in a few trees and it's not as simple as going up and down, or side to side when you have to worry about getting around all these curved areas.

She also has a table with 4 chairs, and 2 benches for seating on the lower part, so once I have done one area all the items need to be moved to be able to do the rest.

I am in NO WAY an expert at lawn cutting, and there are spots that I end up missing, but it gets done so she doesn't have to look at her yard and think it's turning into a jungle of tall grass and weeds.

Tips For Cutting The Grass

• don't wear sandals (you want to keep your toes)
• wear pants (getting hit with a flying twig or rock hurts - at least pants provide *slight* protection)
• if you have an electric lawn mower, keep the chord out of the way
• do a quick sweep of the yard and move any toys or items that might get damaged/damage the mower
• don't cut the grass in the middle of the afternoon when it is H-O-T out
• be sure to keep an eye on pets and children to avoid injuries