Sitting here enjoying a cup of hot chocolate while looking out the
window at the first snowflakes of the 2018-2019 winter season while reflecting
on a memorable summer and fall. Even though the last four months have been a
roller coaster of emotions, I have enjoyed 2018. Weird, I know!
Fellow gardeners, I have a feeling you might find this odd, but one of the highlights of my summer was lawn mowing. Please note, I have not had to mow in over 30 years as I lived in the New Mexico desert, and my home had a rock yard. At the beginning of the summer, my older brother, Forrest, invited me to mow his property in Winneshiek County. The reason for agreeing to mow my brother's property was three-fold. At the beginning of summer, I was looking for opportunities to increase the number of steps I walk each week. Curves Decorah, of which I'm a member, challenged its members to increase the number of steps they walk weekly, and I wanted to be on the winning team. I also have the desire to be an active member of my family, and helping my brothers on their farms fulfills this need. Finally, it is very peaceful on the farm, and spending the day allows me to be alone and think.
The
40 acres Skunk Farm located off the main road at the end of an unmaintained
lane offers an opportunity to be alone. Yes, I did say Skunk Farm. I'm not sure
why it is called the Skunk Farm, but based on the stories, dad told me I am
assuming that there used to be lots of skunks that lived in that area. Knock on
wood! I have never seen a skunk while I have been back there. The Skunk
Farm means a lot to the family as our father lived there when he started first
grade. I am sure everyone in the family remembers hearing dad's stories about
walking through the knee-deep snow from the Skunk Farm to the Hesper schoolhouse
one and a half miles away. This summer, I traveled in dad's footsteps at least
twice a week to mow.
The walk is very relaxing. The lane is lined with trees, barb-wire fences, fallen trees, bushes, vines heavy with delicious berries, a bubbling stream, and flowers.
The Skunk Farm sits quietly nestled in a
scenic valley outside of Hesper, IA. If you are one of the many that think Iowa
is flat, you need to visit the Driftless Area.
Mowing the Skunk Farm pasture was an adventure that created memories that I will never forget. Forrest likes to keep the pasture surrounding the little cabin and the path to the outhouse mowed. I eagerly thought mowing would be much easier than it turned out to be. Having lived in New Mexico, most of my adult life, I have not had to mow in over 30 years, plus the fact that the lawnmower was self-propelled made it extremely challenging. It took me all summer to acclimate to the heat, humidity, exercise, and get used to using a self-propelled mower.
Lessons Learned
In addition to a summer of reflections, it was also a summer of
lessons. Below are three lessons that I learned as a result of mowing this
summer at the Skunk Farm.
Lesson number one: I quickly
found out that mowing a pasture is a lot more difficult than mowing a lawn, and
it is important to wear work boots. The ground was very uneven, and the
ankle-length dress boots with flat heels that I wore on the first day were just
not going to work. Those dress boots almost caused me to twist my ankle; I
struggled to control the lawnmower on the gentle slopes. I almost fell flat on
my face as I chased a runaway lawnmower.
Lesson number two: A self-propelled mower can be very dangerous to use if you are not used to pushing a lawnmower, and you aren't paying attention. This summer turned out to be an adventure as I struggled to get used to mowing with a self-propelled mower. By the end of the summer, I felt comfortable using the mower and did not end up with any wounds to show for my time behind the handle.
Lesson number three: I also learned that it helps to minimize the number of objects in the yard to mow around. At the Skunk Farm, I had to mow around the outhouse, two picnic tables, fire pit, two logs next to the fire pit, the cabin, and a few trees, which cause it to be challenging. The trees and drop-offs are surrounding the east side of the property.edge. Are you wondering if I went off the edge or not? There were many close calls, but never did I go over the edge.
I hope that Forrest asks me to mow again next year.
