It was the first mowing of the lawn and, in case you are unaware, I hate mowing the lawn.
After John did the requisite lawnmower maintenance, (gas, oil, reattaching loose parts, and mouse nest removal) I went to work on the lawn.
I cruised around contemplating if I could not mow the lawn anymore because we might be moving this summer. Failing to come up with a legitimate reason to justify that line of thought I continued unhappily driving in circles.
Until I hit a fence post. (Which, in my defense, was lying flat on the ground under the grass – at least until I mowed over it.)
Then I stopped.
And swore.
And wondered why my list of things I’ve run over includes, wheelbarrows, tractor chains, logs, dog toys, golf balls, giant holes (that’s really more of a fall into) and now fence posts, (but not dead cats so that’s something).
Then I wondered if in any other household someone with as terrible a record as mine would still be the preferred lawnmower – darn colorblind husband.
So, I removed the offending fence post, got back on and went back to work contemplating ways to avoid mowing.
Suddenly a six inch long, wiggly, black, object flew up in the air and landed on my lap.
After the initial shock, realization settled in.
I stopped.
And swore.
And wondered why I have never replaced my lawn with AstroTurf.
And bemoaned the fact that my least favorite chore now needs to happen on a weekly basis.
And mentally grumbled about a trip to the hardware store.
But then I realized that with one sleeping kid, one about to get on the bus to come home from school, two days of rain in the forecast and a shredded belt, I had no time to make it to the hardware store. No time to mow any more lawn before the rains came and therefore no point in even attempting the lawn mower fix this afternoon.
It was a bad day for the lawnmower… 
…but, I got to quit mowing for the afternoon.
And, no matter the condition of the lawnmower or how poorly the rest of the day went, I always consider not mowing the lawn to be a positive state of being.
Written in response to Prompts for the Promptless Episode 12 – Silver Linings hosted by Rarasaur.
I liked this prompt ,it is why I blog, to find the silver linings – well, that and to not become a ferret .
Behind the Willows 
I am sorry to hear you are the lawnmower in your family. I do love this story! I was afraid the black wiggly thing was going to be a snake, if that was the case I would give you permission to be done mowing until you are at your new house!
Nope no snakes. Although I did think that if I was a person with a snake issue I probably would have jumped out of my skin when the chunk of belt landed on my lap it was even partially coiled up!
[…] Behind the Willows – A Bad Day for the Lawnmower […]
flew up on your lap! :jawdrop
i do not approve of Anything At All flying up onto my lap while i am mowing the lawn…
That’s funny, I was just thinking of how much stuff is on our lawn now compared to before baby. It’s like I need some kind of toy detector to sweep the lawn before I try to mow.
Sadly it was me who put the fence post in the yard, can’t even blame this one on the kids…
The best part of living in an apartment is not having to worry about the lawn. 😀 I loved this Jessie and I am also glad you aren’t a ferret or a cat-murderer! 🙂 It was kind of the lawnmower to break down to give you a peaceful afternoon. 😀
Thanks! Not have a lawn to mow sounds wonderful some days – but perhaps not enough to move into an apartment! Of course I have yet to get a new belt for the mower so maybe I should start considering lawn-less places as we look for a new place to move to…
[…] Behind the Willows – A Bad Day for the Lawnmower […]
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Reblogged this on Anita Dawes & Jaye Marie and commented:
just love this blog!
Thank you! 🙂