In the "thick" of things with mowing

My front yard with downed trees from "derecho"

It's a year in which summer seems never to want to take hold. We hear about the unique things that are happening because of climate change. I noticed another one a few days ago. 

My grass had gotten to a typical height where I consider cutting it. Let's use the correct term for a certain type of mower: it's "walk-behind" mower, not "push" mower. "Push" might suggest those borderline antique things that have no motor at all. The Cyrus Post Office had one of them, as of a few years ago. I shouldn't say "no" power because the power came from human exertion. 

So my powered walk-behind mower was set to go a few days ago. I had previously mowed with my rider. Now I wanted to give the lawn more of a "haircut" where I'd get to the base of trees better, that sort of thing. My walk-behind had just had the carburetor cleaned. 

Word is, the standard unleaded gas has higher ethanol these days and this is bad for small engines. There's an alternative fuel which I hear is available at only two places in Morris. A friend tells me it's "oxygenated" but I think he might have meant "non-oxygenated." Whatever, it all gets confusing even after one has consulted the Internet, and that's unusual. My response to my friend this morning:

 

One question again about the gas for mowers: The "gold pump" gas at Jerry's, is that oxygenated or non-oxygenated? I think you meant non-oxygenated. I have tried researching this using Internet but no matter where I look, I just get confused. Usually the Internet helps boil everything down, but not with this. And what about the term "premium?" Then we get into octane levels etc. I just want to know what pump to look for. What's it called? Whatever, I think I might just sink or swim with gas from Casey's. Just get a new mower every three years or so, if I have to.

 

Whatever fuel you settle upon, it appears there are pluses and minuses. What about the old days when you just went and bought "gas?" Everything in life has gotten too complicated. 

Is the ethanol content of the unleaded gas a government-mandated thing? To help the farmers? Farmers don't seem to face much risk these days. It's not at all like the days of old. There was a time when farmers fretted to the point of irritation. We had to feel for them, but still. It appears now we have "over-corrected" for the farmers. They'll claim they still face some issues because that's human nature. No class of people will ever say they have it made. They're still looking around for favors. 

But it appears farming has developed to where it's quite risk-free. 

If the ethanol is creating problems with small engines, I wish the government would end any special policies that are contributing to this. The government could just straight-up pay the farmers. Pay farmers for not growing something? Is there any precedent for that? 

I'm just shrugging and continuing to buy the unleaded gas. So a few days ago I cranked up my walk-behind and was game to take on the grass. I consider my mower to be quite good enough. This was a first-time experience at my property: the grass was too think and moist to be tackled by your average walk-behind mower. It would stall and kill after a few seconds. 

I cranked up my rider again. The rider could overcome this, thank goodness. So I charged forward in the rider, ensuring that my property would continue to have a civilized look. People can give me a pass for having two downed evergreens in the front yard. Scenes like that are common now. The "derecho" passed through. Have you ever before heard that term applied to local weather? Almost certainly we are seeing climate change. 

There's a home on east end of my neighborhood where a fallen tree is still pressed up against the side of the house. I'm surprised it has not been attended to. Have the occupants of the home been gone? This is Morris, after all, a town about which I have joked that "we're going to be gone" should be on the water tower. So who knows? 

 

Cultural shift

In the old days we'd all know each other's business better. There was an up side and down side to that of course. The early days of my neighborhood saw everyone very open and friendly with each other. There is nothing un-friendly now, but we've all sort of withdrawn into cocoons - people everywhere have. You hear the joke or irony about how we don't even know our neighbors anymore. A stone's throw away. I only observe that norm because it is the norm. I would not mind at all having more open relations. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. 

Sometimes when we feel inhibitions, we send emails! Emails are like a refuge for when we really feel we need to communicate with someone. My theory is that it feels safe because we're not demanding immediate feedback. We say what we need to say, then it's up to the recipient how, or if, to answer. I have the email addresses of three of my closest neighbors. They have proven useful at times. 

Telephone is a whole different proposition than in the old days, because so many people opt not to "pick up." You must realize that in the old days, standard behavior was to just "answer the phone" when it rang. The norm began fading because of telemarketing. And then we decided we liked the "cocooning" stance of not being as available. People my age will remember the transition. I am 67 and have the perception of a "boomer." 

My generation has always been so powerful and trend-setting. Are we prepared to relinquish some of that? The time has come, and in fact is probably already here. The boomers will have a storied place in American history. What made us unique, shockingly so in some respects? I will distill that answer down to one chief thing: we were the first U.S. generation of kids to be marketed to. Marketing is manipulation. It made us cynical. It made us smart alecks. 

The world cares less and less about what we have to say now. We are becoming relics, though surely we are in denial about that. Inevitably we will pass from the scene. 

 

Music video as time capsule

My 50-year high school reunion is next summer. Ah, the transitions we have seen. I was reminded of three of them when I called up an old music video recently. What a delightful video: "Born in East L.A." from Cheech and Chong. It's not a "stoner" thing. It gets humor from illegal immigration, which I think is taken far more seriously now. The video made an impression on me because right at the start, there are three things that are very dated. 

At first, the singer coming out of his home is struck in the chest by a newspaper tossed by a "delivery boy" on bike. Newspaper delivery boys! From the days when they were oft-seen, considered a normal part of the landscape. No Internet as of the year 1985 of course. I was 30 years old. 

Next we see the singer get distracted by two "shapely" women who he decides to fawn and ogle over. Quite dated! We bitterly object to objectifying women today. I welcome the new attitude. Had we activated our brains, we would have been concerned about how all the (apparently) non-attractive women felt about the fuss being made. But we don't judge women like that now, and if you insist to do so, please just do so in your private thoughts. Today we have #MeToo of course. Sometimes it gets carried away, but on the whole it's constructive. 

Sometimes I feel for someone like Garrison Keillor who, frankly, just had the not-uncommon problem of being overwhelmed by his hormones. Am I subject to this? No comment. 

OK, still another dated thing from the Cheech and Chong music video: right after the encounter with the females, the guy goes to the corner store to get "a loaf of bread and box of smokes." Horrors. But this was when smoking was still quite accepted out and around, and even if the smoke irritated you sometimes, it was considered bad form to make a fuss about it. The law eventually took care of this. Restaurant owners were privately glad that happened. 

So here we are in mid-June of 2022 and with grass in the rather unique condition of being stubborn to mow, so that the standard "walk-behind" equipment won't work. If no rider, you might have to hire someone. I'm hoping to get the tree guy to my place soon. Maybe we'll have some normality by the Fourth of July. 

Don't forget that Donald Trump considers climate change a "hoax." Hey, he's still popular in Stevens County.

 

Addendum: I am hopeless for spelling "carburetor" without looking it up.

  

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com