Going Green

Last night we bought a push mower. I joked with the kids that it's spaghetti powered. Today, I push-mowed the back yard and the side/front strips outside the sidewalk. I'll let Wes do the front yard, including the narshty slopes this evening. BWAHAHAHA!

I like it. I really do. I don't mind a good sweat, and I certainly got that today. What I did mind about mowing was the gasoline on my hands and the stench and noise. The push mower is not silent, but it was plenty enough quiet that I could enjoy some good music on the portable CD player I borrowed from my teenager.

I also paid various kids to go behind me with some kiddie scissors and trim the weeds the push mower did not get after six or so passes. It'd been a while since the grass was cut, and I anticipate the job going easier next time. I also anticipate doing some research to find out if there's any way to get rid of some of these green things called weeds growing on my yard.

So, our carbon footprint just got a little bit smaller, between the dishwasher being Kaput and not replaced, and the lawnmower not being a push mower. Glory to God for all things!

And, I have discovered that if I put Shell gasoline in my van, a tank lasts two weeks, with conservative driving. If I put cheap (Thorntons, for instance) gas in my car, a tank lasts one week with conservative driving. I'm paying the extra ten cents a gallon, because it's cheaper in the long run!

I wonder if there is a non-toxic weed killer out there?

Comments

Meg said…
Can't help you with the non-toxic weed-killer -- be sure to post about it if you find one -- but we have used a push mower (a "reel" mower) for over 20 years now on 1/4 acre of lawn, and I don't know why people use anything else. It isn't just the stench of gasoline or the noise; I mean, you still have to walk behind the thing and push it around, and it has all the weight of a reel mower, plus that stupid engine. So why bother with a gas-powered mower?? I've never understood the rationale.