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Mowed your neighbors lawn?

reviewed by edt4

edt4
07/10/2008

Mowed your neighbors lawn? 4

When I became too old to deliver newspapers, but not quite old enough for a "real job" (so to speak), I mowed the lawns of several people that lived in my neighborhood for a few summers. Believe it or not, it wasn't the worst job in the world. At the very least, you didn't have some pr*ck of a boss watching over your shoulder. Yes, if the weather was hot and sticky, it could be uncomfortable. Yes, it could be quite tedious. But, if I was able to get myself into the right mindset, I could function on autopilot and enter into what seemed to me at the time comparable to a meditative state of Zen. I'd think about books I had read, movies I had seen, girls I was hot for, activites I might be doing that weekend, actresses in the movies that I was hot for, swimsuit models  I was hot for, etc. etc. One neighbor had a rider mower, and that job was a breeze. Even today, the smell of cut grass is pleasantly nostalgic for me. As I got older, I worked more and more "real jobs" but occasionally would take a lawnmowing job in my spare time to earn some quick, easy money. One job I had regularly, at least for awhile, was with a rich, obese doctor who had an estate up in the mountains (he was too cheap to hire a professional service to tend to his yard and figured a wastrel teen was just as good and nowhere near as costly). His property was as huge as he was; comprised of rolling hills, trees, shrubbery, gardens, etc. Most of it I did on his rider mower, and that was, again, a breeze. Unfortunately, I then had to use a regular lawn mower to cut the grass around the trees, gardens, shrubs, etc., and that could be absolutely torturous if it was a real hot, muggy day. I was in pretty good shape at the time, but on more than one occasion I would actually start to hyperventilate as I pushed that mower up and down hill after hill after hill. After I graduated high school and started college, I had to pretty much leave my lawn-mowing days behind, although I would occasionally do it for an older widowed lady who lived near me. Again, she had lots of money and could probably have paid me far more than she did, but she was always pleasant to me, and her property was far smaller and less undulating that that of the obese doctor, so I didn't really mind.

Join to vote! 4 Helpful / 0 Funny / 0 Agree / 0 Disagree
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Ridgewalker commented 504 days ago.
Okay, Mr Big Shot C-Note...I gave you a "helpful" on this one. Why? Well, for starters, it wasn't particularly funny, nor was there anything that I could agree, or disagree with. Which brings me to my point. You, Ed, are probably the most exemplary example of why other button options are needed here. This review, like most of your reviews, are well-written, nicely massaged slices of life that are a pleasure to read and I often feel that your enjoyment of writing and reminiscing require more than a mere click, as a response. Well, I guess it's helpful, in that we just get to know you a little better with each review...

edt4 commented 504 days ago.
Thanks for the nice words, and your point is well taken. Sometimes I'll find myself hitting a "helpful" and will change my mind at the last second and switch to the "I Agree"; sometimes I'll switch back again. I'm hesitant about hitting the "Funny" button because I don't want it to be mis-construed, which it occasionally is.

edt4 commented 504 days ago.
Adding at least one or 2 more buttons certainly couldn't hurt.

irishgit commented 504 days ago.
Seconding Ridge's comments. I never fail to read your stuff, Ed, and you're an excellent, evocative writer. Your style and the tenor of your stories reminds me a bit of Jean Shepherd's, who if you haven't read I highly recommend.

edt4 commented 504 days ago.
Thanks, I appreciate that. Let me add that you two, along with writers like Oscargamblesfro, Mr. Entropy, Loerke, and a few others, are the reason I keep returning to the website and reading with much pleasure.

Ridgewalker commented 504 days ago.
I'm gonna repeat a suggestion here: A pull-down "4th button" with a few options...which would require a comment in order for the vote to be registered...a comment supporting the vote...

Ridgewalker commented 504 days ago.
Well, Ed...compliments don't come in a higher form around here. Thank you...
Showing 7 Comments
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By the Numbers