On Lawncare

I've never really understood the purpose of the lawn. I bring this up after a lost battle with lawncare I had on Monday evening, so you'll have to forgive me if I sound a bit spiteful, because I really am. After posting on Monday, I decided to tackle my lawn, mostly out of guilt and because my its become one of my family's greatest weapons of mockery against me. It was wild looking, I'll give them that.

So I had David help me take the big gas mower off the porch (and forced him to fill it up), and resolved that I couldn't use my little reel mower given the lawn's latest growth achievements. Then we duct-taped up a little remair becuase some godless plastic bit decided to go rogue and break off as soon as I tried to start the thing. Dandy. Halfway through mowing my side boulevard it died. Puttered out a cloud of black smoke and refused to go on. I almost understand; the side boulevard was a great enemy - it was its first time mowed this year because very little of it consists of "actual" lawn at this point (I'm rather proud to say), and looks more like a forest floor than anything else. Regardless, I wish I didn't tackle the side boulevard until I had done the rest of the manageable lawn, for now I was left alone in battle and only parts of the rest of the lawn were done. I never wanted to mow the side, but I've been berated over it for quite some time. I think it looks just fine on its own.

Anyways, one small mental breakdown later and there I was, desperately pushing on my little reel mower to try to get it done. It was a losing battle. Its still not done. Ugh.

The Importance of Being Mowed

Like I said, I never really understood the purpose of lawns. Apparently, in North America (as my wiki-researching goes) we grown more "lawn" then any other "crop," including corn. We also use more pesticides per square foot then we do on any other crop. Gas mowers have actually become a contender that contributes to summer smog. Why do we do this? What's the point in growing something that just for the sake of having to cut it? Why not grow something that stays close to the earth to begin with. Get this, I don't know if you've heard, but some people actually water their lawns. It seems almost insane: water the lawn so we can cut the lawn, wash, rinse, repeat. If it were not for other people I would NEVER even consider growing a lawn just to cut it. I'd let it grow. I'd let native plants move in and do whatever they wanted to my yard.

So the history of the lawn as we know it isn't that long. Apparently in the 20s the growing middle class of America wanted to feel more like British aristocracy and have lawns, and thanks to the invention of the mower, they could manage to do so without and army of servants or sheep. During the wars, hot and cold, people were encouraged to keep tidy lawns to show how resilient and okay we were. Imagine that: lawn care proving our mental fortitude. 

Regardless, I know I'll be out there again this week with my rusted and dulled reel mower... proving my sanity... crumbling before social norms... mowing my lawn.