Hubby really doesn’t like mowing the lawn. Well, mostly he doesn’t like the old cranky lawnmower. He waits until lions are hiding in the velt before he finally gets to it. Even then, I have to gently remind him. Today was the day. We were up early this morning. I did a million loads of laundry, (Ok, 4) vacuumed, cleaned the litter boxes and did the general weekend stuff. I didn’t feel bad about the gentle nudge.
So, He stalls and stalls. Finally, about 1:30PM, he couldn’t think of any more excuses. He stood up to head out, glanced at the window, and bolted for the door. The car was outside with the top down and it was pouring!
The whole morning had been sunny and 75°. The minute he’s ready to mow, the sky opens up. How the heck did he do that!? He was drenched when he came back in, [sub]serves him right[/sub], but by then the rain had stopped and the sun was smiling down again. Of course, the foot tall grass was too wet to mow.
He works tomorrow, so, maybe Monday. (sigh)
My understanding, from the safety of my vantage point in the Midwest, far, far away from banana slugs, is that “Rain” is the default setting for Seattle weather. Perhaps you should rather express your amazement that the whole morning had been sunny and 75°.
I’ll let you in on one of the biggest PNW secrets. The whole perpetual rain is just a myth to keep the tourists away.
We have long, rainy springs, lasting until July 4th. Then we usually have a beautiful summer, lasting until early October, with only the occasional rainy day. Our summer rains is usually misty and light. They often last most of the day. This was less than 10 minutes and more like the fall and spring cloud bursts I lived through in Kansas City.
I know it’s his fault.
Isn’t there a teen or pre-adolescent in the neighborhood willing to earn a few extra bucks? Hell, if we lived closer, my son would jump on the chance to earn a few extra bucks.
It started raining here (about 30 miles south of you) around 2:00 and rained off and on all day long here. It’s gray and wet again today, although it’s not raining right now.
Heh. I dunno what corner of the Fairytale Universe you inhabit, but here on this planet, teens don’t mow lawns anymore except their own, and that under duress. We’ve lived in this house for 21 years, and without exception, all the warm bodies that have appeared on my front porch asking if we “wanted some yardwork done” have been elderly black gents with equally elderly lawn mowers.
It’s right up there under location: PNW. My 14 year old son is always game for some cash, since he’s not quite old enough to get a job. He doesn’t always go out and ask, but when someone asks him, he does it, and with a smile.
I wondered about that the last time I was mowing my lawn, kids don’t go around mowing anymore. Friends of mine did when I was a kid, this was 15 years ago or less.
Heck, maybe I should voluneer to drive down and pick him up a couple times a month.
There aren’t many teenagers in the neighborhood. The ones across the street, up one house, drive a boombox. In the summer they seem to get up about noon, shaking the leaves off the trees. They come home around midnight shaking the heighbors out of bed.
The only other teens are the two boys in the witness protection program family next door. They keep padlocks on all the gates.
We’ve lived here nine years. We’ve seen the two boys maybe 10 times. I’ve talked to them once. I once asked to speak to their mom about a problem on the property line. (long story) They told me she didn’t speak English. When I finally met the parents, about a year later, She spoke perfect, unaccented English, The husband had an accent.
The grandfather comes by three times a year to mow their lawn and pick up the piles of rotting apples. I think those boys are out.
The 90 year old lady across the street uses a lawn service, an old drunk who shows up when he’s out of beer money. When we moved in, we called him. We wanted the yard nice for our house warming. He showed up two weeks after the party. He said he didn’t think we’d need him, because the grass should have dried up by then. Then he yelled at me for watering, not for any environmental reason, but because he liked taking the summers off.
I guess it didn’t occur to him that we wouldn’t be calling him back.
That, or I could get off my own lazy ass, and mow it myself
Non sequitur: Why is the Google ad for unnecessary circumcision?
Picunurse, if your husband can make it rain, I’ll come pick him up and bring him to Tennessee. We need the help.
I haven’t found any teenagers who want to mow lawns, either. I think these days you have to raise your own lawn mowers and that does have other disadvantages (and advantages as well) but it’s much, much cheaper just to get a professional lawn service.
