#255 Reel Life

After five years of living in a church-owned house, Tess and I bought our own house last August. For the first time in my adult life, I had a lawn to take care of. So I started looking for a lawn mower. After doing some research I decided to get a reel mower. Yes, an old-school human-powered push mower. Tess (and many other people I talked to) thought I was crazy. But after finishing up our mowing last fall and getting things started again this spring, I'm pleased with my choice.

Let's talk about your potential concerns first. My reel mower doesn't seem any heavier than gas-powered mowers I've used, and as long as the grass isn't ridiculously long, it seems at least as easy to push as your average mower without self-propulsion. We'll have to see how difficult it is to find someone to sharpen the blades, but as long as the blades are sharp enough, my reel mower works smoothly.

But the thing I really like about my reel mower is how quiet it is. There's no loud engine noise, just a soft clipping sound. I can talk with Tess or the girls while I'm mowing. When I stop pushing the blades stop spinning. There's also no gasoline smell, and no frustration from having to go fill the gas can before I can start mowing for the week. I'm still working, but it's pretty easy to enjoy being outdoors. And hey, if having a weird lawn mower starts some conversations with my neighbors, that's not a bad thing at all.

Grace and peace,

BMH