Day 991 Green fingers

Pete and Kelli’s social distance day 42

26th April 2020

The sun was shining, and it was quite warm, so like most people, we were drawn to do some garden work.

We wanted to extend the flower bed which will be behind where the new patio will be, so a bit of vigorous digging would be required.

But first we needed a new lawn mower. Kelli did not like the petrol one as it made all clothing smell of exhaust smoke. So she got rid of that one and bought a push mower from Marketplace. Unfortunately that one had the roller missing, so the cut could not be adjusted. I had decided to get a cordless machine, as I thought trying to push a grass cutter would finally finish me off.

After a lengthy discussion I agreed to buy a new push mower, the point was to see if a new model would be easier to push.

So we drove to Menards where they had a decent model on clearance. I had checked on line and found they had two in stock.

We applied our masks and headed into the store.

It is strange that you do not notice the people wearing masks, you see the ones that don’t, and they stand out.

After getting this young lad to find the tall ladder( the box with the mower was on a high rack) we successfully negotiated the checkout and home we drove.

We started on the digging, soon there was turf and dirt everywhere, soon the patch was all dug and ready for some top soil and fertilizer.

Then it was time to assemble the mower. This turned out to be a simple job, and even I was able to do it without instructions.

I carried it out into the back garden ready for Kelli to take over.

The back garden does not have the best grass, but there is an area where it is thick and lush, and that was what Kelli wanted to tackle first.

She lined up to start the first cut, setting the depth to midway. She set off well until she hit the first clump, this stopped her in her tracks, like she hit a brick wall.

I re-adjusted the cut depth to maximum, she still struggled to make much progress. I took over, remembering how my mother used to do it. The trick, I thought was to take a run at it. I set off well, I was determined to make it to the end of the garden. Sweat was pouring off of my brow as I cut a swath through the thick grass. Triumphantly I turned to make a return run. I got to the end where Kelli was standing barely able to speak.

“Was this your idea” I gasped.

Still I had broken the back so to speak, so Kelli took over to finish of the rest of the grass cutting.

I’m sure this will keep us fit, or at least let us qualify for the shot put in the next Olympics.