I’ve posted in the past about my doubts about joining the millions of Americans whose biggest job, aside from going to work, is keeping up their lawn. Last year I didn’t mow at all. I didn’t have time, because there was so much work to be done finishing the house. Nor did I have a lawn mower until today. The biggest factor that made me decide to give up and mow is that I want to walk and putter outside without being afraid that I might step on a snake. And besides, a certain amount of lawn is like an extension of the house, as are porches and decks.
I did some thinking and research before I decided on a mower. The area around my house is very hilly and uneven. So I figured I needed a riding mower that was as narrow and flexible as possible. I pretty quickly zoomed in on the Snapper mowers. As far as I could determine, Snapper makes the narrowest riding mower available — 28 inches. The front and rear suspensions are independent so that it flexes nicely over uneven terrain. Another plus was that the engine is in the back, with its weight on the rear wheels to improve traction. Because I lived in apartments in San Francisco and didn’t have to deal with such things, today was the first time I’ve used a lawn mower in almost 20 years. This is the first riding mower I’ve ever owned.
I took it for a spin and was amazed. I had not really expected to be able to mow my entire backyard and orchard area, because it’s very steep back there, but I was amazed how well the mower Jeeped up and down my hillside. I ended up bush-hogging my entire orchard area, clearing out the briars, tiny trees, and standing thatch from last year’s thick grass, which grew to about three feet tall.
It’s going to look great when the grass turns green.
What my backyard looked like last May
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