When mowing a lawn becomes like the Bataan Death March..

[GrayHare]

I caught my neighbor, a widow in her mid 90's, out mowing her 4 acres with a push mower last year before I could rush over there with the tractor and make her stop.

I guess folks are a bit tougher up this way...

That activity level might have contributed to her reaching mid 90s.

 

[kgtest]

I love you "big lawn" guys. I was chatting with a co-worker that lived in Arkansas over cocktails and he mentioned that he "mowed his lawn" over the weekend. He added that he liked to mow the lawn as it gave him a real feeling of accomplishment.

I'm like "how much lawn do you have" and he's telling me 3 acres.

Crap. You're not supposed to mow 3 acres, you are supposed to farm 3 acres!

We don't have to worry about that stuff here in CA where dirt is really expensive -

Haha, I feel ya. DW wants "land" . Then I point out these guys riding around on their tractors...sometimes I even see the women out there on them headphones and all, mowing grass. I park the car, and I just sit there and watch until DW says OK GO GO. This is what we would be doing on the weekends honey, mowin lawn.

 

[Teacher Terry]

If kids can afford a house they can afford a lawnmower and do their own yard. I can’t imagine my ex letting his dad cut our grass. Just not right.

 

[brett]

When you let someone take advantage of you it is your fault, not theirs. If you freely make the choice, why turn around and complain about it?? The answer is in the mirror.

 

[audreyh1]

I caught my neighbor, a widow in her mid 90's, out mowing her 4 acres with a push mower last year before I could rush over there with the tractor and make her stop.

I guess folks are a bit tougher up this way...

Well, how many years has she been doing thaÑ

 

[CaptTom]

Well, how many years has she been doing that?

Her whole life. She used to have a massive garden.

When she was 91 she broke a leg. The doctor asked her if she normally walked with a walker. She said "What? Those are for OLD people!"

They told her she'd have to stay off it for x weeks. She said "I can't do that, I have to take care of an elderly person!" She was working as a home health aid at the time.

She has slowed down a lot. But she's still sharp as a tack.

 

[audreyh1]

Her whole life. She used to have a massive garden.

When she was 91 she broke a leg. The doctor asked her if she normally walked with a walker. She said "What? Those are for OLD people!"

They told her she'd have to stay off it for x weeks. She said "I can't do that, I have to take care of an elderly person!" She was working as a home health aid at the time.

She has slowed down a lot. But she's still sharp as a tack.

It didn’t sound like she needed to be rescued.

 

[ckelly78z]

Haha, I feel ya. DW wants "land" . Then I point out these guys riding around on their tractors...sometimes I even see the women out there on them headphones and all, mowing grass. I park the car, and I just sit there and watch until DW says OK GO GO. This is what we would be doing on the weekends honey, mowin lawn.

Nope, takes about 1.5 hours to do my entire yard (listed above) and maybe 45 minutes for my daughter's place (full acre). We do all of our trimming with ROUNDUP, I haven't owned a pushmower in 10 years, and have never had a string trimmer, never fertilized, or weeded, and don't mulch.

 

[Souschef]

For Christmas we gave future son-in-law a toolbox with an extensive collection of all manner of tools.

I have to laugh at that. My dear Dad used to bring up tools to my BIL each time he visited. My BIL lived in apartments until he got married.

 

[rayinpenn]

Start as you intend to move forward.
Their grass would be higher than the house if it was up to me. Their walls would remain unpainted.
There is a difference between helping, being taken advantage of, and being an enabler.
You can only be a martyr if you want to be a martyr.

When I hear people complaining about things like this I immediately wonder if they are not really bragging.

They may not realize it but it places those who take advantage of them in a very bad light.

The thing I have about being 64 and retired is I can pretty much do as I want. I mowed the lawn and Mrs and SIL painted and spackled to help out and for me to get some exercise. Also because that is the kind of people we are. We help our kids like my son helped me in the back yard yesterday. Enabling is a word that would be appropriate if I had 20 visits with no end in sight not 2. Bragging? I cant begin to understand what there is to brag about.

I would have thought through the my title you would know I wrote this little ditty ‘tongue in cheek’ thinking many here will read it and say “been there and done that” and for them to maybe have a chuckle. Enabler, Bragging and “Bad light” thats pretty silly.

 

[CaptTom]

I would have thought through the my title you would know I wrote this little ditty ‘tongue in cheek’ thinking many here will read it and say “been there and done that” and for them to maybe have a chuckle. Enabler, Bragging and “Bad light” thats pretty silly.

That's how I read it. I, too, was a little surprised by the push-back. Everyone's situation is different. Maybe some folks are interpreting your post from their own perspective.