Friday, 26 May 2000
.....
Did I mention that I have a new house? And that it sits on nearly one half acre of Zoysia grass?
Growing up in New Jersey, I always wanted to help my dad mow the lawn. For some reason it looked like the kind of thing I would enjoy. I remember the cool spring day when my dad let me push the mower around our little front yard. I think I really did enjoy it.
Cut to Atlanta, Summer of 1977. Suddenly, it's hot out, I mean, really hot. The mower spews out smoke, kicks up rocks, and has to be pushed up and down a huge god-awful slope of a lawn. The day I left home was the last time I'd ever mow a lawn again, or so I hoped.
Now, here I am, age 34, and cruel fortune has presented me with a lawn. A nice lawn -- we have flowers and bunnies and things -- but a lawn none the less.
So I hunted around for a tolerable mowing alternative. My first thought was to buy the most expensive, high-horsepower, wide deck, big bag mower I can find. The Lincoln Navigator of lawn mowers. Then Kendall reminded me of the pollution those things put out.
So I turned to electrics. They have rechargeable mowers now, so no problem running over your own power cord. But it seems these things are not self-propelled, and they have this huge lead-acid battery on them... well, you do the math: 76 pounds.
Bijan harped at me about using a sickle. I'm not even going to glorify that with an answer. But out of all this comes what may be the solution: the Brill Luxus 38 Reel Mower.
You can't get much greener than a reel mower. It runs on personal power, providing the pusher with a little weekly exercise (and don't I need it!). It's better for the grass, carefully slicing each blade of grass, rather than brutishly chopping and bruising the poor things. At 17 pounds, I could push one for ... oh, anyway, maybe an hour. And noise, what noise? The only noise it makes is swishing of the flame-hardened precision steel blades. And I'm told Zoysia should properly be cut with a reel mower.
I may be making a purchase this weekend. Well, I'll definitely be making a purchase this weekend -- did I mention that I just bought a house? -- but a reel mower may be on my list.
This is Green Lawn Mowing <http://monkeyfist.com/articles/541>