To mow or not to mow, that is the question!

It’s a toss up, but it’s hot and it’s dry. The grass is long and if I mow there will be a raking party for sure. But keeping the grass long in extended dry spells with high heat, I think, helps to protect the grass from going up in smoke. With an abundance of ledge and poor soil, it doesn’t take long for our grass to turn to straw. So, I have opted not to mow, just yet. Maybe after a little rain, which I hope comes soon, I can launch the John Deere for the much needed haircut.

In the past, I have mowed on a fairly regular schedule, regardless of temperature and rainfall. That turned out to be a very bad decision, both for the lawn and for us. Left to its own devices, during periods of high heat and little rain, the grass gives up. The one advantage to this development is, I don’t need to mow. Dead grass doesn’t grow very fast but I admit there is a savings, especially with gas prices what they are. I can’t imagine what that does to mowing costs throughout the region for the commercial lawn care folk. I guess you get paid as much for marching as you do for fighting. If you’re on a contract to have mowing every week regardless of the conditions, that’s the deal. Ladies and gentlemen, start your mowers, just raise the blades a bit and paint new stripes on the front lawn. 

As you may have guessed from the photo I am sharing today, I am not a particular fan of high temperatures! I guess I should be careful here. Our daughter and family left Brooklyn, New York, last week in 100F temperatures to fly to Dallas for a grandfatherly 75th birthday and 100F-plus heat. They grabbed a return flight back to New York for a balmy 100F-plus adventure. However, there is a light at the end of the toaster oven! Soon the family will come to visit us here in Maine where they hope to enjoy a little less heat. By the looks of things, however, they may be in line for some warmth here, too. After all, it's not the heat, it's the humidity! Ha!

Part of the reason for my slight preference for fall and winter is obvious. But, secretly, I feel more able to deal with the cold than the heat. In winter I can add as much clothing as I need to stay warm. In summer there are only so many layers I can remove, without causing a significantly embarrassing event!

This week’s photograph is meant to share with guests and visitors (and home-towners) an especially refreshing view of our cherished “Footbridge” in the “Off Season” during the mild month of January. My hope is that all who view this image can pin it up on the refrigerator as they are grabbing a cold, refreshing libation with the hopes of cooling off. Psychologically, perhaps this is wishful thinking, but maybe a little reminder of less need for A/C, heat/cool pumps and skyrocketing electric bills. A little snow might be a good way to replenish our water supply and aid our grasses that are about to burn up! At any rate, maybe the photo will remind us of a time when the broken air conditioning in our cars needn’t be a concern.

Open the back screen door, set the rotating fan on high and drink lots of water. Winter is coming. Bundle up!