Lawn Mowing Behaviour

I think people mow their lawns every single day here. At least it feels like it - there's always a lawn mower going somewhere.

I've always found lawn mowing behaviour to be kind of amusing. One afternoon you'll hear a neighbour start. Then a little while later one on the other side starts. And when they're done another neighbour gets going... It's almost like when they hear someone else doing it, they're reminded they probably should too.

Whether they realize they're reminded of it because they hear the noise, or whether they think they came up with it all on their own, is hard to say. I'm inclined to say most favour the second option, though I don't think that's what's really going on.

Then.. since most people tend to mow their lawns shortly after their neighbours, why do I hear lawn mowers every day? Does grass grow abnormally fast in this neighbourhood? Do people like particularly short grass? Or do they just enjoy mowing lawns?

I don't know. Maybe I'm the only one who notices this. I'm probably the only one who finds it interesting. I get that, lawn mowing really isn't very fascinating, is it?  But - I do think I've found the missing piece of the puzzle.

Close to our house the town owns nine apartments and an old people's home. Around the buildings there is grass the size of around three average sized lawns. For some reason, they decide to mow them (ie. drive around on a miniscule tractor pretending to be a giant) on different days of the week, even though they lie less than thirty yards apart. The days they don't mow the lawns, they walk around with this little device to trim the edges of the lawn. This device sounds like a helicopter (seriously - I've had to check a few times).

People are strange..


When I was a kid I used to sing on the swings when my dad mowed the lawn. It made such nice noise (yes there is such a thing), a purring almost.. and it was the only time I could sing so nobody would hear me (I can't sing to save my life).

Today that sound, and the smell of freshly cut grass, still takes me back there.. to simpler times, when all I wanted in this world was a popsicle and a dip in the lake, back when I didn't spend time wondering what people were thinking when mowing their lawns.

Back when all I would wonder would be when the itsy bitsy fishies in the lake would come so we could catch them. Actually... now that I mentioned it, I wonder if they're here yet!