IMHO, mowing my smallish yard is by far my most annoying regular household chore. I’m probably making too big an issue of it and if I’m honest, it can be done in an hour if I just get off my fuzzy butt and do it. Someone who can’t be arsed to do that twice a month probably has no business owning a home. In talking to some of my friends though, many of them actually claim to enjoy doing it. I don’t comprehend this at ALL. They tell me how it’s quiet time away from the kids or how it’s productive time spent in the sunshine. Fair enough, whatever floats your boat but don’t expect me to get it.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand wanting to maintain a tidy and well kept yard and viewing the mowing as a necessary, if unpleasant step towards that desired goal. I don’t share that desire but I understand it. I’m lucky if I knock the weeds down before I get a letter from the police saying someone has lodged a complaint about the state of my yard. If you mow because you like the results, I get that. Considering your time and effort mowing the yard to be an enjoyable act in and of itself? You might as well tell me about the time you played strip poker with Santa Claus, Sasquatch and the little dog from the old Taco Bell commercials. You’re spouting nonsense IMHO.
Other. When I was able to mow, I didn’t dislike it. I actually kind of liked seeing the nice even lines show up. But unfortunately mowing is one of my strongest asthma triggers, so I can’t anymore. Now I tidy the yard with a weedwacker, and it’s a lot less satisfying.
I love mowing the yard when the temps are pleasant (no more than 90 degrees). I wait for the sun to go behind the trees, stick in my earbuds, put on a little Skin So Soft, and then I’m in the zone for 30 minutes. I feel like I’m taming the wilderness and getting in a good work-out all at the same time.
It’s not quite so fun when the temperature is high, but I can think of worse chores. If I had a significant other, I’d gladly volunteer to do all the yard work in exchange for not having to do the dishes every night.
I live rural, but there are significant areas around my property that are in grass and require regular mowing. With a lawn tractor, the job takes about 2 1/2 hours.
Early in the season when the grass is lush and spring is busting out all over, I enjoy doing the work. As the season wears on, all my sins re lack of weed control become more apparent and aggressive ground wasp activity increases, not so much.
Get hit a few times by ground wasp nests and you’ll soon lose your taste for idyllic mowing experiences.
When ex-Mrs. ToKnow and I were splitting up, I was arranging for new housing. My realtor kept sort of nudging me toward single-family homes even though I had voiced a preference for something like a condo or townhome. Finally, he explained that with my plan, I’d be incurring probably $100-150 a month HOA fees. I countered with the fact that I was at that time paying more than that just to have my lawn seen to. “Well, let’s look at some condos, then,” he replied.
I hate it. Feels like a total waste of time.
I hate other people doing it too. You can’t take a walk at any time or on any day where there isn’t the sound of mower nearby.
Just this morning I was looking out on the mist covered lawn watching a rabbit eating a dandelion leaf. Gave the varmint something to chew on outside of the gardens. You would think I would get a thank you for letting the lawn go too long between cutting this time. But, yeah, I really need to get out there and cut that.
I couldn’t vote, as there was no “Yes, except when/if…” ( or "No, except… )
In summer heat & humidity, I regard it as a very unpleasant task that seems to drag on forever, albeit a necessary task. In turn, I just bite the bullet, lose gallons of body water, get cooked by the sun, and just get it over with as I remind myself of how much I hate it with every 21 inch wide row.
During the end of mowing season in the cool days of fall, I find it bracing that I can walk a vigorous 2.5 miles ( according to my fitbit ) in a vigorous stride, without sweating. It feels great.
I dislike the reality, the concept, other people doing it and everything else about it.
It just seems such a waste of productive land, environmental resources, time, water and energy. I guess I can see the point for people who actually enjoy and use it, but that seems to be a much smaller number of people than those who feel compelled (or are compelled) to create and maintain one.
I used to like mowing the yard…alone time, headphones on listening to music my wife hates, the satisfaction of seeing the yard afterwards. But multiply it by a factor of…
Anyway, we pay someone to do it now and he does it in a fraction of the time with a big-ass riding mower. Looks much better.
However, I’m currently changing our bed. That happens every single Saturday, so 52 times a year. That’s a much bleaker proposition and I hate to think that I’m going to do it another 1248 times before I’m likely to die.
I actually enjoy mowing the yard while I’m doing it. Sometimes I’ll think about the heat and sweat and not want to start, but once I set about it I kind of get in a zone of, um, pensive detachment(yeah that’s it!). I start as soon as the dew dries somewhat to take advantage of long shadows from trees on the east side, and get a great sense of accomplishment when I’m through and still have the whole day ahead of me.
I absolutely loathe any sort of yard work. Or any sort of work where you do it once, and then you have to do it ALL OVER AGAIN before you even forget how much you hated it the last time. I voted the third option, but really the third and fourth are both true for me: I can’t stand mowing and will take any steps I can to make sure I don’t have to do it, and those steps included buying a home where I don’t have a yard to worry about.