Mow-Power

Last week when we were at the family beach house, I got a little bit antsy...

cause the dogs were getting lost in the patch of grass outside the back door ie in some sections it was up to my hip and I didn't want it to fall on my father to have to drive the three hours up to the beach house just to mow the grass. Dad's pretty much the primary caretaker of the place and while it's great that he's so willing and has been able to do so much of it, we're all pretty much capable these days. ;) (Sadly a year round resident down the road used to so kindly mow the neighborhood lawns when she did her own, but she suffered a heart attack earlier this year and passed....)

Since that day the grass was wet and rain showers were intermittent, I waited for a shower break and then went into the garage to see what the lawn cutting options were. I had a choice between an ol' electric mower (with the rain---no thank you!) or the ol' blade lawn mower (you should have seen the weed eater--it's like an ol' sickle). So I got to work using the ol' mower which happens to have a fairly dull blade at the moment---I'm pretty sure this is the original mower dad used as a kid to mow lawns! :)

Needless to say it took multiple short pushes, lots of arm muscle, and a decent amount of laughter to get one tiny section cut, but in the end it got done. The tallest pieces had just been flattened over by the mower, so I actually cut them with a pair of scissors.

Looks pretty decent, eh? ;) But the whole thing got me to thinking about how much we take simple things in life for granted....and how sometimes our health suffers because of it. Mowing with the old mower was a lot of fun, but it definitely took a lot more physical and mental work on this particular day. I started thinking about back when Dad was a kid and how so much more of the normal tasks actually took human power and muscle...and how much lower US obesity and mental disorder rates were. I started thinking about how good it felt to accomplish something basic via my own skills and wondered whether the increase in mental illness and disorder potentially has anything to do with how much of life has been broken down and sold into "ease." I could be reading too much into all this and while I don't agree with everything from the 40s-50s, a more self-sufficient life definitely seemed to have its perks for our population....and has the added bonus of being a more sustainable option for our futures.

And one final picture to leave you with....my lil' helper who laid in the truck bed the entire time just patiently letting me go about my business....although I think really she was hoping we would be going somewhere soon. ;)

We're about to spend an entire day out in the yard, getting it ready and finalized for a BBQ we're having with friends tomorrow. The sun is out today and I'm actually looking forward to pulling weeds, mowing the lawn, and a host of other outdoor activities.

Hope you all have a beautiful, sunny, outdoor, and physically based Friday wherever you are too!