# I've been very lucky with the mowing lately. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 18, 2016, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057 "2016-05-18T01:33:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057/1 "2016-05-18T01:33:50Z")
Apologies to those that are dealing with drought but much like last year, around here it has been a very cool and wet spring. The grass is growing like crazy despite a lack of sunshine. The last few times I’ve mowed, I get home from work, determine that the day’s rain has evaporated enough, fire up the mower and get to work. Each time it started raining again anywhere from immediately to a half hour after I finish. It’s like a chilly rain forest around here. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057/2 "2016-05-18T01:43:46Z")
Seems like a good place to drop [this](http://cheezburger.com/798725/funny-snapchat-list-hilarious-struggle-one-dramatic-guy-has-mowing-lawn). ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057/3 "2016-05-18T01:51:34Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Seems like a good place to drop [this](http://cheezburger.com/798725/funny-snapchat-list-hilarious-struggle-one-dramatic-guy-has-mowing-lawn). Thanks! That was funny! ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057/4 "2016-05-18T05:39:04Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Seems like a good place to drop [this](http://cheezburger.com/798725/funny-snapchat-list-hilarious-struggle-one-dramatic-guy-has-mowing-lawn). In his defense, it isn’t even self propelled. I’ve been lucky the past few weeks and managed to get it done on Friday night after work. I love my new lawn mower. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057/5 "2016-05-18T05:53:46Z")
I feel your excitement! I haven’t had the exact same luck but I know the feeling for sure. I’ve started making myself mow twice a week without fail, either weds or thurs, and then sat or sun. Literally making hay while the sun shines! My grass is so damn lush it leaves quite a mess even cutting on 4" and doing it twice a week. I mowed this past Thursday and it stormed like heck that night. I was super pumped! ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057/6 "2016-05-18T16:02:32Z")
My last two mows have been unpleasant slogs. The grass was dry to the touch but lush and heavy. It clumps up at the discharge chute and doesn’t fill the bag. The lawn looks great though. For those who use paper landscape waste bags, I cannot recommend a collapsable funnel highly enough. I got one like this: Leafmate Proseries No more fumbling with the bag. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057/7 "2016-05-19T09:03:25Z")
You … bag the grass clippings? I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen anyone do that. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057/8 "2016-05-19T10:00:32Z")
Tangent: I was going to pull the lawn mower (a Toro) out of the shed where it had been hibernating during the winter, drain the gasoline, replenish, tune, etc. I came back to find the lawn remarkably shorter. Said roommate went and just did it. There I was all “manly” with gas-can and Stabil and starter fluid in hand…and I had nowhere to go from there. I need to buy her a nice sit-down meal some place for being so awesome. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057/9 "2016-05-19T10:18:31Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > You … bag the grass clippings? I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen anyone do that. Compost is your friend, be sure to add other stuff however. Earth worms will abound (if you like to fish), or add to your garden. Just saying. Kinda hard to do this in an urban environment, but it can be done. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057/10 "2016-05-19T10:25:58Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > Apologies to those that are dealing with drought but much like last year, around here it has been a very cool and wet spring. The grass is growing like crazy despite a lack of sunshine. The last few times I’ve mowed, I get home from work, determine that the day’s rain has evaporated enough, fire up the mower and get to work. Each time it started raining again anywhere from immediately to a half hour after I finish. It’s like a chilly rain forest around here. I am laughing out loud. From experience. Where is the WTF smilie (SP?) anyway? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057/11 "2016-05-19T11:05:43Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > You … bag the grass clippings? I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen anyone do that. We bag our clippings and use them as cheap compost on the flower and shrub beds, alternating with layers of wood chips from the horse stalls. And it’s been a great mowing year so far. A friend repaired the hydrostatic transmission on our Kubota tractor, so I can mow at warp speed again. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-very-lucky-with-the-mowing-lately/755057/12 "2016-05-19T11:40:24Z")
I’m feeling your vibe! Last year we had to take our mower to a guy. He took a lot of time to ‘get it going’, Y’know, as opposed to actually fixing it. So when we pulled it out this year it would seem to have given up the ghost. But nay! Hubby manages, against very long odds to get the thing running. Not well you understand. Just barely running. (Since, in the last three weeks the poor man dropped 10k on soffits, facia, troughing, new furnace, new water heater, chimney removal, roof repair etc., I’m cutting him some slack on being too cheap to send it for repair again!) Instead I’ve just been using it. But it hardly runs, makes a funny noise, barely goes fast enough to cut grass and frequently needs restarting. Still, I press on. Knowing if I finally kill the damn thing, he’ll be forced to source another mower, new or used. But will it just up and die already? Nay! It just keeps running. Badly. Making a sound that makes passers by cringe, but still it keeps going. And I share the mower with my neighbour, who is definitely going to find it a struggle to use. Especially since he’s let his back yard get quite long now! With luck THAT will finally kill the wretched thing!