The Reel Deal

Are you a fan of www.craigslist.com? What a great place to find stuff! Better than e-bay as it’s possible to zero it down to your own neighborhood. Windy found this house I am living in on that website, and yesterday Andy found a lawnmower for me. Just the kind I have been wanting. A reel push mower with sharp blades and easy grip handles and a grass catcher. Hard to find a cheap used one that is not dull and all beat up. New ones cost a lot as do many “green” items.

My little patch of grass is hardly big enough to call a yard. Eventually I would like to eliminate the grass and have only native plants and rocks and mulch. A big project even for a small space. In the meantime, the green grass grows all around. No grass police here as in Osceola, but still there’s a need to keep the place looking neat and cared for and avoid that white trash look.

At the Earth Day Festival we picked up brochures on both Native Plants and Invasive Plants for this local area. They will be a great help in making the green decisions. The previous owner did seem to favor invasives, and the next-door neighbor is a bit put off that I am ripping them out.

Today the sun is shining and the temp will climb into the 60s so I can get out and initiate the mower. No loud engine noise, no noisome gas fumes, no ripped shoulder joint from trying to pull start the gas engine, no arthritis cramps in the hands from holding the “safety” handle. A nice quiet, easy-on-the-body activity. Good exercise, too. This is the “reel” deal!