I think the heat is getting to me. I tried to mow this morning. It was hot, but there was a breeze that made it bearable. I was annoyed, though. The mower needs a new blade. It wasn't even chopping the heads of clover off. I found myself going over the same spot without results, so I quit.
I realize I blog about mowing ..... a lot. Is it sad that this is a big part of my life? That I spend more time with the mower than I do with my husband? Doesn't matter that he is usually mowing at the same time that I am.
When we first bought this new and exiting endeavor, we had no idea how much of our time would be spent mowing. There was a tractor that was part of the existing equipment that was used to mow. The smaller areas had to be mowed with a push mower. I didn't mind doing my part. It was just a very small area between the parking lot and the building, and the fenced in back yard.
The tractor mowing was okay, just didn't look well groomed. Then there was all this wide open space. Not many trees at all. A couple of maples, 3 apple trees and three cherry trees. The cherry trees have since died, but I have replaced them with other trees. I added peach trees and flowering pear trees purchased on clearance. The skimpy patches of grass between the building and parking lot has been replaced with daylilies and ground cover, along with clematis and whatever I decide to add in annually. The wide open spaces are now defined with trees and bushes and perennial plants. Lots of tiger lilies and iris and black-eyed suzies. All this planting came with a price for me. Not $$. But I planted my trees to create a sun screen and a wind break for the main building. That meant a tractor would not be able to navigate between my trees.
This was a lesson learned when the very first tree I planted here, a black walnut, met with disaster and was mowed down. HeWho I am quite sure murdered my little tree tried to blame it on the nice man who was helping with that chore. I am well versed in the ways of HeWho mows. It was about this time that HeWho purchased his first zero-turn at the co-op in town. He paid a lot of money for this mower that was previously owned and was always breaking down. He also purchased an off brand tractor that never worked right, but that is another day's tale .... not to mention the dump truck with no brakes.
After a couple of seasons of an unreliable mower, I convinced him that we needed something that was known to be reliable. I was appalled to learn how much he spent on his new Grasshopper. He spent more on that than he did on the car I drive!
He did his research and spoke to the salesman at length about the work load this mower would have to endure.
Lately, the mower is in the shop more than it is mowing here. They keep
Even though I am very adept at pushing one, I just can't do nearly 14 acres! I mow around my gardens and my trees .... a very wide swath, so that cut grass is not slung into my beds. I mow the dips a valleys that a wide blade will not groom well. I mow around the pool and anywhere the big mower cannot easily access. Another kamper helps out by mowing sites.
So, when the Grasshopper representative, aka Grasshopper Guy decided to drop by today, I was not in the best frame of mind, being still hot from mowing. I was in a sharing mood and I shared quite a few of my thoughts about what customer service means. I am not shy, as you might have already guessed.
Rumor has it that a loaner mower will be in my future and will be delivered when ours is picked up.
2 comments:
You are a really good squeaky wheel! A loaner mower! I'm impressed.
We have two tractors, both of them even working, but Hick chooses to mow on that $1700 riding mower he went and bought without telling me. It is NOT zero-turn. He mows about 8-10 acres, I think, in front of the house and the barn and the adjoining land that is dotted with cedar trees.
My daughter is an assertive one, also. She contacted a business and asked them to drop off something at the place she was babysitting instead of delivering it to her home forty miles a way. They did. She said, "All they can say is 'No.'"
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