Mowed To The End Of The Row

There is perhaps no tool that has been used more consistently and more dependably for the duration of the history of the Kent Cornwalls than the old gas lawnmower.  It mowed the lawn at 331 for nearly 10 years.  Then it sat dormant for a few years until 336 had a lawn to mow.  It has done it's job superbly at 336 for nearly another 25 years.

It has been called the Frankenstein mower.  The engine was a replacement bought from a neighbor's garage sale after the mower sat for the years of the 336 house remodeling.  The catcher has been duct taped and re-duct taped year after year.  Several years ago armor plating was pop-riveted to the body where it had literally rusted away.  The pull rope has been replaced and the pull mechanism been reassembled countless times as it fell apart. The original plastic wheels pretty much wore to disintegration a few years ago and where replaced with heavy duty rubber treads.  The screws work loose every other time the mower runs and need to be re-tightened... etc... etc... etc...

Recently the handle was about ready to fall off with the metal fatigue of the tacked on armor plating.

Through it all the mower has started with a single pull week after week, year after year.  Last Saturday the last drops of gasoline were used up.  The mower was willing, but there was no more fuel in the can.  When dad first started using the mower he bought gas at one of the two gas stations on the corner of Ivy and Foothill for $1.25 a gallon.  Now, both stations are long gone.  It was a good, long run.

Dad has gone totally modern, with a new electric mower he got a few month ago.  But the old gas mower just kept going so the new mower stayed in the box until Saturday.

It's a new day - with a velvet, finely cut lawn with new, quite electric machine.  Will this new machine keep rolling, every Saturday for the next 35 years?  Probably not, but hopefully it do the job for as long as dad can push a mower around the yard.