I tried to get my teenagers to mow the lawn before noon when it really gets hot. It was already 94 at 10 AM. My 15 yo went out about that time to "prove" to his brother that the thick, long back yard could be mowed. The argument lasting the 20 minutes it took me to go to the hardware store and back for trimmer string. My oldest mowed the back yard. By then it was after 1130. It was now my 13 yo son's turn to mow the front. First thing he does? Yell at his brother for putting the lawn mower away. It took him a full 15 minutes to get the lawn mower around to the front, find a hat, wet the hat, get the mower in just the right starting place, and...start the mower. It took a while with the 'mulching' push lawn mower to cut the thick, high grass (did I mention we've had more rain this summer than the last three combined?). He had to stop frequently to let the grass out from under the blades. Then low and behold, our neighbor Walt came riding by on his lawn mower. At that moment, I was struggling to restart the mower then realizing it needed gas, sent my son for the gas can. Walt thought the mower was not working, rode up over the curb, and started circling our lawn. Not only did he mow the half my son hadn't gotten to yet, but mowed what he had. It took him all of 20 minutes to mow our whole front yard. I looks terrific and I can't thank him enough. It has been a long week and I am weary in body and mind. It was nice to have just a little help from a good neighbor.
[16th century Dutch painting called 'The Master of the Good Samaritan' in the Utrecht Museum. Picture is in the public domain.]
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