So much for that silver lining

Saturday, 2:49 pm

March is not coming in like a lamb. Therefore, might we hope that it will go out as one? Well, we shall see. I can be patient. Sorta. Okay, not really.

I mentioned somewhere yesterday that the silver lining in all of this weather we’re having lately is that the grass is buried and I don’t have to mow it. That remark was made before I cleaned the basement.

I was cleaning out the basement this morning. Not a big cleaning project...just a little one. And, lo and behold, I found a push-reel lawnmower sharpening kit. I was so surprised. No recollection of where it came from or when. But there it was. An unopened box ready for business. It obviously pays to clean out the basement once in a while.

Inside the box: A jar of rubbing compound, a wrench, a paint brush, and some directions. Unfortunately, the rubbing compound is as hard as a rock. The directions don’t say what to do in that event. Add water? Oil? I don’t know. I can always buy some fresh compound at the auto shop, though.

The directions are easy enough. All I have to do is use the wrench to lower the blades to the cutting bar, slather the rubbing compound on the blades with the paint brush, then rotate the blades backwards. That’s all it takes to sharpen them. I can do that! I will never have to suffer from dull blades again nor depend on someone else to sharpen them for me. And I can mow my grass without gasoline or electricity.

I like using my reel mower. It’s lightweight and easy to maneuver. I like it much better than even my cute little electric lawnmower. But mine is as dull as a hoe and I never quite got around to taking it in to the shop last season to have it sharpened. That is no longer a problem.

Now, I do like my electric lawnmower. It starts every time and I can turn it off and turn it on with the flick of a switch. But dragging that electric cord along behind me got to be a real pain in the behind by mid-season last year. Especially when there are trees or shrubs to work around. Then I started inventing ways to avoid cutting the grass. Never had that problem with the reel mower, which also starts reliably every single time. One little push and we’re in business. No cords to mess with. No wildly spinning electric meter. No motors or technology to wear out and defeat me. The electric one will still come in handy after an extended period of rain when the grass is too tall for the push mower to handle. But for the main part, the reel mower is my first choice. Simplicity at its finest.

So, now that the above mentioned silver lining is shredded on the floor… (Yeah spring. Come on spring!)