Time to Mow

My schedule is… complex.  Yard work does not have as high a priority as watching my grandson, or getting the next book ready to publish.  As a result of heavy book promotion and other priorities, mowing the yard has taken a back seat — until today.  The next book has had the beta-reader versions printed and mailed out to the select few.  Now, for the first time in quite a few weeks, it’s time to mow.  Unfortunately, that means that some of the vegetation (it’s not all grass by any stretch) is taller than my head, even when I’m seated in on the tractor.

By this time of the year, most of the wildflowers have gone to seed, so I don’t feel all that bad about mowing down the stalks.  One thing that does bring the sighs is the wildlife.  If you’ve seen the movie “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh”, there’s the dramatic scene where the farmer fires up the tractor and it’s ‘Moving Day’.  In real life, it’s exactly like that.  Rabbits and rodents who have made their homes in that tall stand of wildflowers huddle in fear until the tractor gets too close and they make their frantic dash to the nearest line of trees.  I didn’t see any cute furry babies this time, but I have in the past.

I’m lucky that I can choose not to mow until I’m ready, but unfortunately, I can’t put it off forever.  I really don’t want tall stands of dried vegetation next to the house when it wild fire season comes around.