Mowing 101

While taking a walk one recent evening, I passed by a house where I could hear a lawn mower buzzing nearby.  Upon closer examination, I could see a young boy busily pushing the lawn mower around the house's back yard.  Standing in the front yard, his hands in his pockets, was what must have been the boy's father, watching that the lad was mowing properly and safely.  I guessed that he must have been supervising a Mowing 101 class that evening.  I recalled being the young one mowing the lawn so many summers ago, with my dad's watchful eye to make sure all was well.  We had a yard of multiple acres and my dad favored mowing at least two acres of it (although it felt more like 200 from this child's perspective).  Dad taught me how to use the lawn tractor so I could cover the big front and back yards while he and Mom did the hard work of pushing the small mowers to trim around our many trees, fences and posts.  It took us two days to complete our front and back yards.  No sooner would we finish and it would seem as if we would have to start the process all over again.  It's no wonder that I take such delight these days watching others mow our lawn from our condominium's sun porch.  I fear that I wouldn't recall enough from my own Mowing 101 days anymore to want to tackle that task ever again.