Lissette Reina: Poop on my shoe!

Thats right! I have poop on my shoe and I feel very accomplished. I am on, what seems to be the long road to a simpler life. The yard needed attention and I didn't want to keep paying someone else to do it. I also was not at all attracted to those big, bulky lawn mowers with their pull strings and thirst for gas. I really wanted to try a reel mower. I have wanted it for a while. I remember talking to my late husband about it. He thought I was crazy. He was never interested in mowing. :D

Being raised a city girl, I can't say that all the yard work is thrilling to me. I mean, I fantasize about growing food and flowers, but at this point, I would be lucky to successfully grow grass. I had many reasons for wanting a reel mower. Maybe you can relate to some of these...

1. If I had a gas mower, everything would be fine. It would take less time and cut everything in its path. Everything would flow until it was out of gas. Then, I would procrastinate. It is something that I am really good at doing. I would forget to buy gas about a thousand times, since I am really forgetful by nature. I promise, I don't do it on purpose. The need for gas would give me another reason to roll my eyes at gas prices.

2. Then there are the mechanical issues. I am not mechanically inclined and I am on a budget. I am not the most trusting person when it comes to mechanics of any kind. I know, stereo typing is wrong but I completely buy into the whole careless, overpriced mechanic conspiracies.

3. My carbon foot print! The reel mowers have no engine. They run on the greenest energy available. They run on ME ENERGY! Really, what is the point of being young and energetic (sometimes) with no outlet? I don't have to pay for a gym membership. I don't have many opportunities to get good and smelly. It's exciting. I don't need to have a clear side walk or path to walk. I need to get my bum outside and mow the yard. I like feeling just a little greener. I am not super green but everyone loves a little sage.

4. Thanks to you tube, the maintenance for a reel mower is simple. I watched exactly what to do and how to do it. Bonus, I only have to do it once a year.

3. The reel mowers are cheaper than mechanical lawn mower. They start at about $30 less than the cheapest engine mowers. Add to your savings the fact that you do not need to buy gas and will only need a little oil for maintenance and you are saving tons. The sharpening kit for the reel mower is only about $15- $20 and lasts for years. I got a bonus deal. I found mine on craigslist and paid half of what it sells for! :D

There are cons to everything but they really don't apply to me. Just for the sake of making this piece slightly less biased I will share some with you. If you are a lawn guru, the reel mower may not be for you. The reel does not get to everything in its path. Uneven ground can equal uneven cuts. If you do not want to pull weeds, the reel mower may not be for you. It won't cut every weed out there. Some weeds won't cut at all (the little white flowers proved this for me). You have to pull them. If you do not want to mow too often, the reel mower may not be for you. Letting the grass grow in too long will beat up any push mower, but the reel will not be able to cut thru thick high grass. It will take a long time since you will have to do it in stages. For me, it is ideal. You will have to see if it fits for your needs.

Now for some comedic relief. I was doing so well but there was absolutely no way that I was going to be able to get thru the entire yard without steeping is some dog poop. I mean the odds are completely against me with 5 dogs. Here are the suspects...