Relentless

I had been wanting to mow the grass since Tuesday but have been unable to because of rain.  On my drive home last night I went through torrential rain, some so hard that it flooded roadways, requiring me to do my best to steer clear since water and electricity are not a great mix.  However when I got home and looked at the property I noticed that there was not significant standing water although it looked like it could pour at any moment.  The seed was planted, I could get the mowing done, maybe.

So as I was wrapping up the Thursday night chores I heard thunder and light rain started.  I decided to eat my dinner first, hoping the rain would stop.  As I looked outside after eating the light rain continued but at this point I had mentally latched onto the idea of mowing.  When that happens it’s almost like a bear trap, it’s very hard to get me to relent.  I have been called McGyver both in appearance and in personality more than once in my life, I figure out ways to solve problems. I put that skill to use last night.

I knew since the grass was already wet and likely to get wetter, clogging/clumping of the exit chute was going to be a constant problem that would slow me down.  I pulled the tractor up to the garage and rigged up a “chute remote control” which consisted of drilling a hole in the rubber deck guard and then running a rope through it, routing it through and tying it off around one of the grab handles.  I put tension on it so the chute was maybe a half foot higher than normal which allowed clippings to fly out with less obstruction, preventing clogging.  It also made it easier for me to pull the chute up when I hit the spots with tight clearance.

I then hit the yard, mowing the entire time in light rain with some periods of harder stuff.  I didn’t care, anything short of a skies opening rain event, I was getting the task done.  My chute mod worked well, allowing me to keep cruising without having to clear grass clogs every couple minutes.  Later in the process I was treated to an intense rainbow thanks to the sun poking through in the west while steady rain was still falling on me.  It was really beautiful.

Because I started later I wound up mowing the last 20 minutes in darkness, relying on the headlights and two floodlights I have pointed towards the backyard to see what I was doing.  I pulled the tractor into the shed a little before 8:30 wet but content that I got it done.

I have a potentially busy Friday in front of me.  I have another pickleball match scheduled at lunch.  On the way home from work I hope to drop off what may be my final harvest of guavas to Monique for her to do something cool with.  Then depending on the weather I may try to get a bike ride in.  Finally I may take a drive up to Fort Myers to pick up a headboard for the guest room.  I laid in there the other day and realized how annoying it is to have your head against drywall. This weekend I have a bunch of soft targets for tasks, meaning nothing is critical but I still have more than enough to keep me as occupied as I can tolerate.