Adventures in Lawnmowing

When I was twelve or so, my dad decided he could get us to mow the lawn by offering $20 for the service. My sister took him up a couple of times and I was jealous of all the extra money she had. I decided it was my turn. My dad gave me a quick tutorial and I was on my way. I could barely handle the machine. Half way through the job, my dad's nerves could no longer take it so he paid me $10 and sent me pouting. I have not touched a lawnmower since. In fact, until today I could not even work one.

Fast forward 18 years...

Before Jeremy left I realized that I would eventually need someone to mow my lawn. Luckily, I did a favor for a friend who agreed to mow my lawn once in return. Unluckily, I had to cash in said favor, voiding the chore.

I woke up this morning with the realization that my poor lawn could not go one more day without being mowed so I went to my work (today is my day off) and tried to bribe some of my employees $20 to come over and help me out. Nobody was available. It was at that point I realized I had to grow a pair and do it myself. This morning:

I run a restaurant. Surely I can work a lawnmower, right? Well, I am a bit timid so I called everyone I know to ask their advice on how to work one. I couldn't tell which way was forward and how to put the gas in. Don't even get me started on priming the engine! It took about fifteen tries to get this puppy started (I hid downhill so no passers-by could laugh at my efforts). Once I heard the roar of the engine, I felt powerful in a feminist "anything you can do I can do better," sort of way. End result:
Sadly, I am way more proud of myself than anyone should be.Mowing the lawn is something that elementary kids do (Jeremy's words, not mine). I lead such a charmed life.