The Lawn is Mowed

 

I’m going out for a ride in a moment.  It’s a stunning day of sun.  Approaching 4:00PM on Thursday, I didn’t remember in real-time, but I remembered now, a few hours later to check out Trouble’s latest “This Is the Modern World” show on WFMU.  ‘Doughnuts, Mind if I Do” by Chai.  It’s a suitably slow and bass heavy, matching the slow breeze, pulling at the tops of the trees, clouds barely moving at all, a feather slowly blowing by in the wind.  I don’t know where these guys are from but it sure sounds like Japan. 

 

I’m going to go for a bike ride soon.  I’m into the second day of a fast so there is a sharp, angular feeling to things.  I could slurp more black coffee.  I could have tea.  There is always water.  I don’t really want any of those things.  Around this time tomorrow, I’ll break the spell, but having done this for many, many months now, I quite like the routine of denial.  It is special then when eating is on.  It is special too, when it is simply not allowed, for no reason other than what my mind decrees. 

The lawn was finally mowed yesterday.  They team that does it visited ten days back and threw in the towel because the turf was too wet and the wheels of their big riding mower sank down into the lawn, tearing things up and generally making ugly ruts.  Miraculously it didn’t rain for a few days.  And every day they didn’t visit, I texted, my wife grew more frustrated, and I considered anew how to once again, jump-start the inherited mower we have that won’t kick over.  During the middle of all this I dumped the old oil out, as I assumed that might have been the culprit and pulled and pulled and pulled to get the push mower started, to no avail.  Spark plugs, perhaps?  I have simply taken on too much client work and I just don’t have time to dick-around with iterating on the repair of a temperamental mower. 

Now the lawn is mowed.  I suppose it looks alright.  My wife is happy.  That is exponentially more important than anything else.  Looking out now it all looks a bit dry though now.  Stubby xanthous wheat where only yesterday it had been a field of uneven, swaying grasses down on the flat part of the yard, before the forest.  It looks tended-to now and this is important for the Mrs.  Anything else would signal weakness.  I thought the wild reclamation of the forest by the vanguard grasses was much more interesting.   Our lawn crew is unreliable, so I won’t have to wait long to watch it happen again. 

Thursday, 05/27/21