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Thread: People Who Mow Too Much..

  1. #1
    Senior Member Packy's Avatar
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    People Who Mow Too Much..

    I live in Zurra, the "We Mow State". It even says so on the license plates, but apparently the illiterate, dyslexic inmates at the pen misspelled the slogan. Anyway, what you have are these guys who are um, mow-o-holics. While their wife stays inside and tidies up, he spends waaaay waaaaay more time and effort on riding around on the riding mower. As soon as they finish mowing, it's time to start over. Even if the grass only grew 1/2 inch! See? Mow and Mow and Mow Some Mo'. One case I know is a guy in his late 50's who mows obsessively ostensibly to please his wife, though he LOVES mowing, anyway. This started after she got some part-time work doing housecleaning in those enormous "Dream Homes" that those working couples buy out in upscale subdivisions built in former cow pastures. Anyway, they then made the transition to middle-class suburbanite, and bought a fancy riding mower. He sets the blade so low, to cut the grass so short, that the blade contacts the ground going over high spots, scraping bare spots and causing clouds of dust and lots of noise. He has told me: "just got that mower back from the shop again; it keeps screwing up!" Well, yeah--the blades and drives in the deck are being damaged with your scorched-earth policy. Try setting your blade height up higher-much higher. But, that logic is lost on the guy. Also, part of the mow-syndrome is on account of being what I call being a Car Jock. They love to drive, just for something to "do", and operating machinery such as a mower classifies as such. It's the same with mota-homes(I call them that) and Harley Davidsons, giant SUVS and stuff. Anyway, mowing too much--it's weird behavior. I have a number of case histories I can offer, but I'll let you kids give us some prime examples of Mowing Zealotry.
    Last edited by Packy; 4-30-15 at 9:44pm.

  2. #2
    Simpleton Alan's Avatar
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    I guess you would call me a mowing zealot since I ensure that my lawn is always neatly trimmed. I use a push mower because my lawn, at just under 3/4 acre, provides just the right amount of exercise for this old body.

    I guess I'm a car jock too, what with having a motor home and a motorcycle, although I must admit I'm not enough of a car jock to pattern my online persona on an old Packard or spend any portion of my time in junkyards pulling parts. Different strokes I guess.
    "Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein

  3. #3
    Senior Member Packy's Avatar
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    Yah--3/4 acre with a push mower is a lot, Al. Next time you are at home depot or Lowes, check out the zero-turn mowers. That way, Those People will not think you are 'different' on account of push-mowing your lot. Because, that's another thing: Mowing excessively, and social conformity are connected. Another case I know of is a dairy products delivery driver. A teamster, who makes a ridiculously high income, for what it is--started at age 18, been there 35 years. He can't quit--no one else would pay him anywhere near the same. Anyway, He built a dream home on a three acre lot, so he could mow & mow & mow to his hearts' content. After his divorce, in order to make additional income, he started a----you guessed it--a lawn-mowing service, for awhile. Then, he got married again to a VERY tidy church lady, and built another new dream-home-in-the-country; this time, on a 5-acrea lot. He's got a Gravely Zero turn--it's Proffessional-Grade. His adult daughter, a Nurse, bought a small home near the hospital. Dad, would make the 60-mile round-trip in his monster pickup, pulling the Gravely behind on a trailer, to mow her yard. Pretty much a mow-o-holic. To clarify: I am NOT a car jock on account of my Packard, which by the way is a very rare car. Sorry, but your defense is wrong. First of all, I have expended far more time working on it, than I have actually driving it. It mainly just sits there, waiting for me to work on it. Taking it out for a drive can be a source of annoyance, because of the unsolicited input I get from people. See? Car Jocking is a wholly different deal, though a case can be made that there is some overlap. Car Jocking is primarily driving or operating machinery, just for the satisfaction of doing so. No automotive technical skills are required. Only a sincere desire to get out and DRIVE! See? The guy who mows too much(case #1 in my prior post) is not affluent. But, they somehow manage to have two late-model cars that together cost more than their home. They "trade"(get screwed) every 2-3 years. They really don't go anywhere; never away from home overnight. But, they each manage to drive 15-18k miles each year! Just around town! OTOH, I'm like: 8,000 miles/yr. See? Then they have an ATV, that they run up and down the block and around their backyard in. Their off spring each had 2-3 cars, by the time they were 18. When one comes home, the other one goes out. All day long. Car jock in; car jock out. See, I make up a mental list of stops, in order to justify a trip out. Apparently they don't. They love to drive; they should deliver Pizzas. BTW, I call a Female Car Jock a "Hot Shoe". Typically, when they arrive home, Hot Shoes come in for a landing, then give it one last hard shot of gas going up the driveway. Hot shoes run up to stop signs and signals, full speed, like Colonel Stapp on his rocket sled, then hit the brakes at the 10-foot mark. I think carmakers need to install those NASCAR head restraints and full harnesses on all cars delivered to Hot Shoes, on account of the deceleration g-forces encountered when they stop. Hope that helps you some.
    Last edited by Packy; 4-30-15 at 3:43pm.

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    Packy,
    when I first moved to AZ it was not uncommon for homeowners in retiree developments to make a lawn ornament of their old push mowers - pretty funny!

  5. #5
    Senior Member Packy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lainey View Post
    Packy,
    when I first moved to AZ it was not uncommon for homeowners in retiree developments to make a lawn ornament of their old push mowers - pretty funny!
    Yah, that is funny. They prolly felt like their mower was something they could not do without. Mowing Fanatics quite frequently have lawn ornaments, but it has been kind of been surpassed by their need for landscaping gimmicks--raised beds, with the railroad ties, the bark mulch, the creek gravel & the plastic "ponds" set into it. Oh, yeah--landscaping with exterior lighting; the solar-powered light stakes. You just know you are an old fogey, when you get caught up[ in that stuff.

  6. #6
    Senior Member catherine's Avatar
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    We have a neighbor who is definitely a mow-a-holic. The guy has scoliosis but that doesn't stop him from fanatically trimming this velvet green lawn twice a week and then bagging it up and neatly lining those plastic bags, with nice organic clippings inside, on the street for the landfill. He's done this consistently since we moved here 30 years ago, and I'm sure he's 70+ now but still at it. I guess it's good exercise for him. But DH invited him to his 60th birthday party and then proceeded to publicly "roast" his lawn habits mercilessly, but lovingly. Our neighbor took it well--it was all in fun. Next day he mowed his lawn.
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    Moderator Float On's Avatar
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    I'm a life long Zurri girl (raised in the north part of the state but been here in the sw corner for 26 years).

    I have a neighbor who mows dirt faithfully every week. I don't understand why she won't let the grass grow enough to be grass but by early June she has it killed off yet continues to mow. Its just a big cloud of dirt surrounding her riding mower.
    Float On: My "Happy Place" is on my little kayak in the coves of Table Rock Lake.

  8. #8
    Senior Member herbgeek's Avatar
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    I've seen my neighbor mow his grass when there was still snow on half of it. He starts watering it in March (this is New England, so we're talking freezing temperatures at night until May) so that it will grow faster, so he can mow it more often. Mowing is at least 2x/week, sometimes 3. I don't get it.

  9. #9
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    I mow a lot, not too much, just the right amount and I wait until the snow is gone. I mowed Sunday and again Tuesday and it looks nice but I usually mow every 4 days throughout the summer. I mow a little over 5 acres. It's fun now but will be not so much fun in August and really not so much fun in October.

  10. #10
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    we had a neighbor with a schedule of which direction to mow each time so that it wouldn't get lines in the grass and then he topped it off by trimming the edges with scissors. it was intimidating.

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