Raking leaves......arrrg

[OldManMirage]

As I take a break from raking the leaves from lawn yet again, I am reminded of just how much I don't like lawn care. Where did we ever get the idea that the grounds outside our homes should somehow be manicured ? Every time I get out the mower and endeavor to get all 7 species of grass and 21 types of weed exactly the same height I can't help but feel slightly ridiculous. "This is insane !" I think to myself. "What a silly way to spend so much of my time and income."

It reminds me of ties. I don't like ties either. Fortunately I almost never have to wear one. But where did the modern tie come from ? Who ever thought it would be a good idea to button up a shirt snugly around your neck and then wrap a piece of cloth around that ? I can understand a scarf for protection from the cold. But a tie ? Nope. Sorry, but I don't get it.

I know, I know, clothes make and all that. I'm sure ladies would say a guy in an Armani suit is pretty hot. And I don't mind collars per se. But can we just move on from ties ?

And mowing and raking lawns ?

I so want to be a liveaboard again !!

[toddster8]

I agree that raking leaves is a very weird concept. Last winter, for some reason, we had very little wind (and lots of snow and ice) and there was a layer of leaves three inches deep in the yard. I’ve never seen anything like it! Usually we have 40 mph winds at least once a week. The anemometer has hit 50 three times this week alone. Leaves? What leaves?

Actually, it’s a very good question... where do they go to? Idaho? They just disappear and I don’t go looking for them.

[senormechanico]

I forget which comedian said it, but he had a gripe about lawn.
First you spend money to buy seed, then plant, water and fertilize it.
Then you pay money for a mower, rake etc.
Then you mow, rake it and pay to get rid of the cuttings in the garbage.

How stupid is that?

[robert sailor]

Couldn't agree more, lawns and leaves are for the folks who's time has little to no value.

[Cheechako]

The square edged manicured lawn came from Lutheran German Christian anal OCD philosophy. If they had their way children would be goose stepping to school in perfect unison!

[Tingum]

One of the best boat names I have ever seen was "DONE MOWING", the dinghy was "THRU WEEDING"

[OldManMirage]

Originally Posted by Tingum

One of the best boat names I have ever seen was "DONE MOWING", the dinghy was "THRU WEEDING"

LOL !! Maybe I should rename mine to "Rake no more"

I could pronounce it strangely, such as rahka no moraa, and people would ask me "hey, what does that mean ?"

Now that would be fun !

[1000 islands]

My neighbour to the west of me has about 5 huge oak trees that drop their leaves each fall so that the westerly winds will blow them on my lawn.

I don't really care too much, except that I have dug a pond which haas fish.

I know it ain't my neighbour's fault, but each spring when I clean the leaves out from around & in the pond, I curse the grand old oak trees.

The good thing about all this, my neighbour will come by with a bottle of rum and helps me dump the leaves in the "back 40".

Plus he's a boater too and he understands the feeling of cleaning out a pond when ya could be out on the water.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

The square edged manicured lawn came from Lutheran German Christian anal OCD philosophy. If they had their way children would be goose stepping to school in perfect unison!

That's funny.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

... But where did the modern tie come from ? Who ever thought it would be a good idea to button up a shirt snugly around your neck and then wrap a piece of cloth around that ? I can understand a scarf for protection from the cold. But a tie ? Nope. Sorry, but I don't get it...

Evidently, King Louis XIII of France thought they were a good idea.

The Evolution of the Necktie:
➥ Necktie Evolution - The History of the Necktie | Tie-a-Tie.net

and

The History of Neckties:
➥ The History of Neckties

[Fiveslide]

I used to lawn-care like a boss. I had a 4,000 dollar mower, and another pretty expensive walk-behind mower as a back-up. I had a vacuum attachment with its own Briggs and Stratton engine. I didn't rake leaves, I sucked them into a barrel. You could have eaten off my lawn.

I lived in a very rural area, not a great deal of people saw it. The couple of years before I went cruising I just quit giving a crap, I let the yard go all to hell and paid someone to mow about once a month. I haven't mowed since. It feels good.

[DaBod]

Love this thread. When people ask me why I want to do something so different with my life, the absurdity of lawn care is always one of my points.

People (me included) spend a lot of time, energy, and money getting grass to grow. As soon as it grows, they spend time, energy, and money cutting it. This cycle isn’t just considered sane or acceptable; it is normal and even expected. How can that be normal?

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by OldManMirage

As I take a break from raking the leaves from lawn yet again, I am reminded of just how much I don't like lawn care. Where did we ever get the idea that the grounds outside our homes should somehow be manicured ? Every time I get out the mower and endeavor to get all 7 species of grass and 21 types of weed exactly the same height I can't help but feel slightly ridiculous. "This is insane !" I think to myself. "What a silly way to spend so much of my time and income."

It reminds me of ties. I don't like ties either. Fortunately I almost never have to wear one. But where did the modern tie come from ? Who ever thought it would be a good idea to button up a shirt snugly around your neck and then wrap a piece of cloth around that ? I can understand a scarf for protection from the cold. But a tie ? Nope. Sorry, but I don't get it.

I know, I know, clothes make and all that. I'm sure ladies would say a guy in an Armani suit is pretty hot. And I don't mind collars per se. But can we just move on from ties ?

And mowing and raking lawns ?

I so want to be a liveaboard again !!

If you don't like raking leaves, simply don't. You are making it way to hard on yourself

At our country home which is surrounded by pine and maple trees, we rake if we feel like it otherwise don't worry about it.

We do however rake the piles of pine needles off the roof which takes about 10 minutes

In this way you can have a home, and a boat.

You can liveaboard OR stay at the house. Work in the city, relax in the country, or sail up some beautiful secluded creek

It's so nice to have choices/variety

Also, cutting grass can be a nice, fun workout periodically. The smell reminds me of being young when cutting grass around town was my main job from say 11-13 years old

[a64pilot]

I swapped a yard, for cleaning the hull. In warm water, I prefer cleaning the hull, in cold water, I have hired it out.
I had about 10 acres of “yard” that my teenage Son mowed, I bought the biggest Lwanmower John Deere made, cost as much as an economy car and had a three cyl Yanmar Diesel.
I miss the barn and backhoe and land, but I don’t miss the yard, pool I miss a little though, maybe when we get to warm clear water I won’t.

[deblen]

Cutting the grass around buildings began long ago for fire prevention.
Then,as usually happens with humans,we got carried away.
Len