A Stihl FS 80R
Weird? Let me explain. I like control. I like power. I like the smell of gasoline. I like being outside. I love instant results. This beautiful creation satisfies all of those things for me.
I absolutely love my job. I really enjoy my coworkers. I love feeling the summer sun all day long. And I love being in control of a weed whacker. I worked for Logan City last summer and I really enjoyed it. That was my first summer trimming and push mowing. I loved it so much I came back for more.
When I lived at home I told my dad I wanted to try mowing the lawn. He said "Okay. Mow from here to there." I took over and thought I was doing pretty good. When I finished the strip he said with love and patience, "Alright. That was crooked. You're done." So the only time I touched a lawn mower after that was to help Clark load it into the back of his truck.
Logan City decided to give me a second chance. After many crooked lines and a few lessons on weed whacking, I now have the practice down pat. I can whack a straight line rather quickly and I enjoy every minute of it.
Last week they decided to train me on the riding mower a.k.a. the Toro or technically the Groundsmaster 325-D (it's an odd picture but that most accurate of all of the results)
Mowing with a riding mower isn't hard. However, there are so many things that can go wrong that I get nervous every time I climb on. I felt pretty good about my semi-straight lines last week. I didn't run the mower off the trailer, I didn't destroy any trees, and I didn't even come close to crashing.
I showed up for work on Monday just a wee bit late. My boss and supervisor asked, "So how you feelin' with the Toro?" To which I responded, "Okay, I guess." They followed up with "Did you have any problems? Would you like to mow again?" I excitedly replied, "No problems. You bet I'd like to mow again!" Then the big question: "How would you feel about mowing a difficult park? It's not too bad. Just lots of trees and roots and chain link fences." I hesitated and then, "I would feel okay about it if I was under close supervision." They laughed and said "How about no supervision?" And I gave a timid, "S-s-s-sure." So off I went. I mowed for two days straight and I really enjoyed it. I leave work feeling like I haven't done anything but sit around all day. So I think I'm ready to get back to weed whacking. I have a hard time feeling as powerful with a riding mower as I do with my weed whacker. The mower can throw me off and run into the pond whereas I can throw my trimmer into the pond. I feel much better being in control.
A couple of guys I work with have actually named their trimmers. I have yet to cross the line from weird-love to personifying-my-weird-love. Just remember, there are stranger things than loving to whack weeds.
1 comment:
How interesting that you feel more powerful on your own two feet with something in your hands than riding along on a huge machine. It's like the weed-whacker is your sword, your weapon, whereas the mower is merely a mighty steed.
Your job is so much cooler than mine.
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