Mowing the grass is a like lot dreaming.
While mowing, a thousand and one thoughts occur to me. I solve problems. I come up with answers to questions that I hadn’t even thought to ask. I think through entire blog posts. I remember past events and wonder what the future holds.
Then just like when you wake up after dreaming and the dreams are soon forgotten if you don’t write them down, once the mower stops, I soon forget what I was thinking about, if I don’t write it down. Unfortunately, most of the time, I don’t write it down.
Fortunately, this last time I mowed the lawn, the 35th time this season, I thought to write down what I was thinking about. So without further ado, I was thinking about…
The third grade and my third grade teacher. My niece is now a third grade teacher. I’ll be posting soon about some very special things she is doing so that one day when her students are decades removed from third grade, they might remember the year they were in her class and what they learned about gardening.
The Garden Bloggers’ Book Club. I’ve decided it has run its course and so I’ll be bringing it to a graceful conclusion at the end this month. If you did happen to read the current selection, Weedless Gardening, and decide to post about it, let me know via an email or comment and I’ll include you in the final ‘virtual meeting’ wrap up post on or about September 30th. Please don’t confuse this with Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day on the 15th of the month. That will never end, as long as I’m blogging!
What I will post for next Father’s Day in June 2009. No hints, I want it to be a surprise, if I remember it. I think I will. I hope I do.
Blotanical awards. I was very flattered to be nominated in several categories, including Best U.S. Blog, Best Blog Design, Best Blog Writing, Most User Friendly Blog, Best Blog Post, Blotanist of the Year, and Blog of the Year. I offer a sincere thank you to those who nominated May Dreams Gardens! If you are registered with Blotanical, please go there to vote before this Sunday. (My name is Carol and I approve this message.)
What to post on the Examiner site. This time I posted five tips for buying shrubs.
How mowing is like dreaming.
I forget what else I thought about while going back and forth, diagonally this time, from southeast to northwest and northwest to southeast across the lawn. Back and forth, back and forth, occasionally going around a tree. Good exercise, good thinking, good times!
What do you think about when you are mowing?
I don’t have any mowing to do because as you know we have no grass. Sometimes I wish I had because it was always a pretty easy task and looking at the final product gave great satisfaction. However, I think all the time when I am gardening and I think my train of thought has changed since I started blogging. Blogging has trained my mind to think about exactly what I am doing and what I am seeing; my interaction with the garden and all that happens out there be it good or bad.
Hi Carol,
I rarely mow anymore, as my husband is the Lawn Man here. The only time I ‘get’ to mow is when he’s under the weather. I always enjoyed the exercise, the opportunity to be alone with my thoughts, and the chance to relax afterwards with a big glass of ice water or iced tea while admiring the results of my labor.
I don’t mind that the Lawn Man handles the mowing here, since he does such a great job, and it gives me more time for the garden!
p.s. Congratulations on your well-earned and much-deserved Blotanical nominations!
I’m like you and really enjoy the mowing. It’s like a meditation in a way. I bring an MP3 player with me to listen to music over the roar of the mower. I think of posts, things that need done in the garden, and get many ideas while mowing. It’s a great time to relax and get away from life’s other responsibilities for a short time.
Congrats on your nominations!
I’m busy thinking of how I am going to make my lawn better for next year. It is full of clover, wild strawberries, and an assortment of other weeds. Lots of bare spots, too.
I foresee seeding in my future!
I can’t remember! Maybe I should write it down sometime.
I only have a few small patches to mow these days, but I think that working in the garden is a lot like meditation. I clear my mind, I solve problems – I talk to myself and get some good answers… ; ) And, yes, I do occationally think up blog posts as well!
/Katarina
Funny you should ask this question today. I usually don’t mow but my DB is under the weather so I did the mowing. Here I use a rider for all but the weedeating which I also did today. While buzzing around on the rider I have a different view of the garden. It makes me think about it a little diffent. I see every nook and crannie when I mow. I can’t ignore the weedy parts. Today I found that there are several limbs that need to be trimmed. I look at the neighbors garden as I buzz by and wonder how their gardens are doing. Usually I am not meditating much. I am watching to make sure I don’t run into a tree or other immovable object.
BTW Congrats on your nominations.
You do always ask the most wonderful questions, Carol. Perhaps that’s why you were nominated in so many categories. I’ve already voted BTW. I love mowing, but since we have 7.5 acres, I use a John Deere riding lawn mower. I think about what I’ll write, and because our ground is hilly and such, I think about the best way to cut the grass. It’s kind of Zenlike sitting out there going round and round. I loved the book club, but I understand.~~Dee
I’ll be mowing at the new house, but hardly have any to do here at Green Hall. By the way, congrats on your well-deserved Blotanical Award nominations!
I agree, I love mowing time. So much that my husband complains he doesn’t get to ride the lawnmower any more. I put on my ipod and sing tunes while I am mowing. I have almost the entire soundtrack to Rent on there, as well as some other choice albums. Thank god the mower is so loud so no one can hear my voice.
I don’t do the mowing–my longsuffering spouse tends to that and the weedwhacking that can be done with a trimmer. I get to do the digging out weeding/thinning/ deadheading, etc. Sometimes I work on story ideas. Sometimes just listen to music on my iPod so I don’t need to think. Sometimes I just soak up the sunlight and the garden sounds and try to ‘be’, as much as possible. Doesn’t always work, but you know what I mean, I’m sure!
Oh, diagonally, what an idea! I usually go east-west one time, and then north-south the next. It has taken me over a week to do my last mow, as I had been away for 2 weeks, and hubby let the grass grow long. Not an easy job with a little push mower. Now it’s finally short enough to manage again.
And what do I think of? Art projects, gardening, my kids.. most everything. But I can’t even remember what went through my head during this last huge mow, or was I meditating? I was certainly getting exercise!
I feel the same about raking as you do about mowing. It is zen like and frees the mind to go in all sorts of directions.
As for mowing? The goal is to restrict the grass to a few paths.
I had the same third grade teacher as you, and I still think about her upon occasion. About 5 or 6 years ago I saw her out to lunch one day and went up to her and thanked her for being such a great teacher. I think she was very touched.
Grass? I don’t think I’ve cut it any this year. Tee hee hee
The younger sister….
EM does the mowing here on my/our corner of Katy. The only time I tried, even with our self-propelled mower it was much harder than I’d expected. Most of my time was spent thinking about how glad I was not to do this all the time!