Jewells of Thought

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone says mowing? Perhaps these words or phrases: hot, loud engine, green, bugs, push, zero turn, sneezing, cut grass in your face, oh and sunburn. These are all words I would mention. Yes I did sneeze several times. You would think having an allergy to certain grasses would itself keep me away from mowing, but no it doesn’t.

Unfortunately, it was my surgeries keeping me away. I tried mowing too quickly after my first hand surgery and had to take pain pills afterwards. However, after the 2nd, 3rd and 4th surgeries I hesitated to get back on the mower as soon. My last surgery was late last May or early June so right about a year ago. It took me that long to get back on. In my defense the last two surgeries both took anesthesia and were not minor carpal tunnel surgeries. I have the photos showing my massive bandaging from twice over.

Getting back on our mower today felt good. I have missed the light breeze waving the cut grass in my face. I do wear sunglasses and an old farm brand hat and I almost always put my hair through the hole in the back of it so it keeps the cap on my head.

Mowing was a milestone for a farming family. We learned to mow early and sometimes got in fights just so we could mow. There’s just something about it being peaceful and therapeutic. I would also say addictive, we have in total 5 acres so there’s plenty of work sometimes it’s hard to stop mowing when I know there’s still more to finish. We tend to work together now, but back in the day me and mom were the main mowers and we would each get on our two zero turns and just go to town on opposite ends of our property. It has always been a good day of mowing if you also count in having to stop to feed our farmers in the fields once in between sometimes we didn’t get started as early so there would be the supper for them as well.