Lawn Mowing

When we can find someone to do it, my Mother pays twenty-five to thirty dollars to have her lawn mowed. My sister, Nancy, says she got paid a quarter for mowing the yard with a hand mower. The price has grown at least one hundred fold since she was a child.

I got more than a quarter for mowing it but nothing close to twenty-five dollars. I mowed several lawns and for ours I got a dollar. I mowed Aunt Ethel’s and earned another dollar for it. Fortunately we had a power mower by the time I got old enough to do it. I hated mowing yards and was happy to have any other job I could find. I really think that knowing I wouldn’t have to mow all of those lawns motivated me to get a job at the pool when I was only 14 years old. I still had to mow Aunt Ethel’s and ours but none of the others.

Aunt Ethel’s lawn on North Jackson had a very small front yard. You could mow it in a few minutes but the back was a different matter. It was wide open and extended all the way to the alley. There was one big apple tree in the back that I had to mow around and that was it. For a couple summers we put a big portion of the back into garden and shared the space with a neighbor. That cut the mowing considerably. I was sorry when it went back to grass.

The Hodson’s lived just west of our house. Their old house has been replaced with a new one on the corner of Madison and Van Buren. Charlie was a TV and radio repairman and had his shop in a room in the house. I remember the room has packed full of disassembled TVs and radios. How he could find anything let alone fix it was beyond me. Charlie was a chain smoker and always reeked of tobacco. Gladys was a large, jovial woman. She was always very friendly to me. She took in washing for several families and had a big clothesline behind the house to dry all of the clothes.

I remember the day Gladys asked me if I would mow their yard. I had to do it on a certain day each week so I wouldn’t be mowing when there were clothes on the line. Their lawn was an easy mow and they never complained. There were others who did, however.

Mrs. Nelson lived at the top of our alley and was a stickler when it came to her lawn. She actually came out and inspected it each time after I mowed. If there was a blade of grass anywhere I had to cut it. She even complained if the mower wheels made rut in the ground when it was soft. I once had to bring so dirt from home to fill in a place where the mower turned and made a rut next to her flowerbed.

Another particular customer was Mr. Clark who lived on the southwest corner of our block. He didn’t come out and inspect. He just watched my every move from inside the house. He would make comments when I went to get paid like, “You didn’t put the eve spout back, “ or something else that convinced me I was being watched all the time. It was kind of creepy mowing that yard.

The Wendell’s, our neighbors across the back yard, were particular, too. They had me cut their lawn in a different direction each time. Mr. Wendell thought the grass would look better if you did that. I don’t know if it did but he would be out there directing me like a traffic cop with the new direction for that mow.

Getting paid was always an issue. No one ever seemed to want to pay to have his or her lawn mowed and, whatever the price, it was always too much. I hated asking for the money almost as much as mowing. In the spring I was very busy but by July the lawn growth had really slowed down. If I went and did a weekly mow and the homeowner didn’t think it needed it I was sometimes not paid. If I didn’t go and mow they would call and complain that I hadn’t been there.

There were other yards that I mowed from time to time. You don’t see many kids mowing yards now days. I don’t know why that is? I still don’t like to mow my yard but covering it with concrete doesn’t seem to be an option. I do have a riding mower now so it is a little easier. If I ever have a kid mow my yard I am going to pay him promptly and not complain about his work.