Yard Work

1) My lawnmower is one of the most mysterious machines I have ever used.  Each time, it does not start until I am on the brink of giving up on it.  That takes a different number of pulls each time.  I pump the little fuel priming button and then pull, and pull, and pull.  I remind myself each time that it always takes a little longer than I would like.  I pump the button again and pull some more.  I scoff at the label on the engine that says, "Eager1 -- One-Pull Starter."  I wonder what will happen if it doesn't start.  I give up and walk away and move a piece of lawn furniture out of the way so that when I do mow it will be an easier path.  I think about how I need to take the lawnmower to be tuned up but the service place is all backed up now and how I hate being helpless about machines.  I walk back over to it and pull again, thinking in the back of my head that maybe I've tricked it by walking away.  It doesn't start and I pull, and pull, and pull.  I wonder if my neighbors looking out the window think I look stupid.  Or maybe I look like I know what I'm doing, like a competent chick who does yardwork and things.  I pull.  Crap.  This time it's really not going to work, is it?  I pull one more time.  It starts.  There is no apparent difference in the sound, in the friction, in the smell, in the position of the mower, in the speed at which I pull.  I must conclude that it is some magic.   Not having any idea why it starts makes the relief that comes when it does start pretty temporary. 

2) I am beginning to understand this podcasting phenomenon.  While mowing the lawn, I listened to Clay Shirky talk about how ontology is overrated.  It was very cool, listening to him talk while I mowed.  It was also very cool what he had to say.  I've been watching all this talk about tagging and semantics and ontology, the wikipedia and del.icio.us memes and the discussions around them, without understanding why it's such a big deal to so many smart people.  I'm not sure I fully understand, but I am starting to get how it is a worldview-changing outlook, with a bunch of social implications and metaphors that I'll be chewing on for a while.  As is podcasting, for that matter.

3) I left a patch of grass long in the middle of the yard because there was a slow moving bumblebee hanging out in the grass and I didn't want to mow him, and I also didn't want to try to kick or nudge him out of the grass.  Do bumblebees move slower in the cold?  I don't know if it's true, but I concluded that was the reason. 

4) My yard is surrounded by hedges that are overgrown and totally oppressive -- enormous, angry, hostile prickerbushes that have predatory and unnatural growth hormones.  I've arranged to have them cut down and their roots chewed up.  It will make my yard so much nicer.  It will free up about 15% of the yard space.  And it won't make me feel like a dismal, bullied failure every time I walk out and look at the wilderness that is sharp and untamed and totally out to get me, that grows back more viciously every time I trim it, and that is way too big to be managed or trimmed in the first place.  But anyway, the angry hedges are the home to a lot of birds.  So I've been feeling guilty about the habitat that I'll be destroying, even though I hate these hedges and the way they've taken over the yard.  There have been some cool looking orange birds hanging around that make me feel very bad.  As I mowed the yard and the hedges reached out to scrape and grab and prick me I peered into them looking for birds, and feeling like a failure. 

Comments

[JXF]

1) Old lawnmowers take on a personality. It sounds like yours is flooded (too much gas, not enough air), and priming it only makes it worse. Try starting it with 3 or 4 pulls before using the priming button. If you have a choke position on the throttle, use that for the first few pulls. Then return to the normal full-throttle setting. Only after that, go to the the choke position and use one or two pumps of the priming button.

[pjm]

Yes, bumblebees move slower when it's cold. Their flight muscles must be warmed to a certain temperature to fly at all; when the air ("ambient") temperature is not that warm, they "shiver" for a while to warm up those muscles before taking off.

For a much more fascinating explanation, try "In a Patch of Fireweed," by Bernd Heinrich. (Or his "Bumblebee Economics," which I find not so readable; it may also be covered in "The Thermal Warriors," which I haven't read yet.)

While different than bumblebees, there are a lot of books out right now about honeybees. I've just gotten a copy of Bees in America. There are a few others out now too. Interesting review recently in the CSM on some of them.

Are you sure your lawnmower just doesn't need a tune-up. Like your car, a lawnmower needs a tune-up from time to time. It may clear up the aggravation you've been experiencing.

[Crow]

The "cool looking orange birds" are probably orioles - quite a desired backyard for a bird watcher. If you have any oranges that have gone over in your fridge, cut them up and put them out, and the orioles might eat them.

Crow

[hkd]

I can't offer any suggestions about your lawn mower but this whole post reminded me of a book I just read: Suburban Safari: a Year on the Lawn by Hannah Holmes.

Like you, she lives in Maine, and she decided to spend a year observing all the critters who live in her yard.

She also adopted what's known as a "freedom lawn" which is supposed to promote the natural state of things. You can cultivate your own freedom lawn while you get your mower serviced. My husband has been happy to adopt the freedom lawn ideals so he can get out on his bike more instead of keeping up with the mowing.

[rjh]

You could try a modern manual reel lawn mower. I was very surprised when I replaced my old clunker of a power mower with a manual push mower. The push mower was so much lighter that it was about the same effort pushing it as it had been pushing the power mower. It takes about 15 seconds from basement to mowing because it is so light and easy to carry, and there is no delay fighting with a balky engine. I also like the quiet.

I got mine for $90 at an end of season sale. It's got two big front wheels and two little back wheels. I was worried about the size, but it's still a lot more convenient than the power mower.

The problems with the reel mower are:
1) No powered wheels. So it is not suitable for a large lawn.
2) It cannot mow high grass. Once the grass reaches the middle of the cutting reel the manual mower cannot cut it. You don't dare let the grass get too high.
3) It won't chop twigs, leaves, etc. very well.

[pjm]

Hmm. I have a reel mower (left from PA) which hasn't seen use since I moved away from a lawn.

[Rayne of Terror]

It is harder to start the mower if you have it standing in longish grass. I have to put mine on the patio so the blade can turn freely to get it to start. After I have some mown I can stop it and start it again over the mown grass. I am known to flood the engine from time to time b/c I can't tell how much priming is enough.

[KevinThompson]

What type of headphones are you using that are good enough to mow at the same time? Any recommendations would be great.

[Scheherazade]

Etymotics -- they make the earplugs. They're great. They work to keep out noise, or as headphones. Highly recommended.

http://www.etymotic.com/

this is gay!!

[Kathy]

The info about flooded mowers was just what I needed. I stopped the mower to pick up some broken glass, and then primed it before trying to start it again. Bad idea, but I have learned that it's difficult to start up again when I don't prime it. Live and learn, I guess.