I have two riding lawn tractors. An old, 42" cut, green one that plows through the rough like a little brush hog. The other is a newer 48" cut. Yet, one (or both) is always in some stage of repair. I've mower repair on speed dial. The local mower shop yells, "Robin," whenever I walk through the door ala Cheers style.
At this moment, I'm waiting for the repairman to come fix a busted grease gasket on the large back tire of my red mower. It also has lost the bolt to one of the tiny, forward deck wheels. Hopefully, this time, he'll have everything he needs on his truck to do the job the first time.
The older, green tractor has a bent mower blade from hitting a large root. I've mowed over that stupid root for the last three summers but this time I forgot to raise the blades. My bad.
A few shots of the acreage I keep mowed. The Baltimore Oriole was added for fun.
I mow close to six hours a week. So, you can imagine what a serious business this is for me and why I have to have a working mower. There are other benefits than keeping a well manicured front lawn. By mowing the back field and under the trees by the creek, I keep the number of ticks down and poison ivy at bay. It's pretty to look at.
And, because it pleases me, I help out the bees by mowing around patches of clover. Further in the field, there are also sections of yellow and purple clover.
In fact, I suspect it's the rough terrain that bounces and bumps those ideas, buried deep inside my brain, up where I can get them.
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R E MULLINS: Author of The Blautsaugers of Amber Heights series
The novella, Diaper Duty Vampire bridges my first series with the new Vampires of Amber Heights series and is currently available.
Unrelated work: Amazon is ending Kindle Worlds so get this novella while you can.
Visit my website to see what else I'm working on at:
or connect with me on my FB author page: REMullins/author
10 comments:
Whoa...that's some serious mowing! We live in a townhome, and TPM keeps our tiny backyard trimmed with a weed whacker! Despite the six hours(ish) of labor each week and the probably huge repair bills, it must be wonderful having all that space (which I'm translating to peace...quiet...heaven). :-) Thanks for the morning chuckle with the gif, Robin! And happy mowing.
We all need a "thinking" place. But might I suggest sheep? LOL They could help with your mowing.
Too much for me! We've had a lawn guy for years. He comes with his helper and they're gone in half an hour, but then our lawn is not several acres. You're right, we all need that thinking space. Mine seems to be the shower. You'd be surprised by what ideas I come up with while washing my hair. Something about massaging the brain...LOL. Loved the dog on the mower.
Six hours! And what lawn mower, ridden or pushed, doesn't have troubles? I'm so glad you find the six hours on the mower to be useful to your writer's brain. I have to laugh...since we got a dollar per square foot of grass...that we got rid of...imagine the amount of money you'd get for handing over your lawn. But it's beautiful and I do love a rolling, pretty lawn!
It's really my mom's land. A few years ago, I moved out here to take care of her. While Dad was alive, he kept all of the open spaces mowed and the fields hayed. I keep up about half of what he did.
Wow, that's a lot of work!! I'm not a mower kind of person, so I don't envy you. The pics are lovely, though, and I LOVE the title and premise of your Vampire story...sounds like a unique and fun read! So, what are they doing with the Kindle Worlds Stories? Are they just unavailable and no more? Do you get your rights back? I was one of the KW launch authors, and I wrote in the Vampire Diaries and Gossip Girl worlds. I can't do anything with those, even if I wanted to, due to the rights being owned by Warner Brothers, or whoever it is.
I've got woods--lots and lots of woods. And a very small lawn. Mind you, trees are a problem as well. They drop things especially in autumn, and then there's living through a hurricane or blizzard while the tv news shows downed trees everywhere. I'll take the ride-on mower I think.
That is a lot of land to mow, but what a great place to think. Hubs takes care of ours, a subdivision lot. He enjoys his riding mower, and it's better for him than a push mower. Even a new mower has problems. LOL at your Cheers entry at the mower repair shop.
I love to play in the dirt, as FDW calls it, but I don't do mowing. Allergies always steered me away. But hey, you go for it.
Love that original gif. Mowing can be so inspirational. You’ve got the land for it. LOL
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