lawn mowing

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I May Have Left It Too Late Again

I looked out the window this morning and thought, “I may have left it too late”.

I may have left it too late again

I wanted to cut my grass one more time this fall. I don’t like it being too long through the winter. 

Today is a bright, sunny day and, though the temperatures are a little lower than what I’d like, it would be a good day to cut the grass.

However, there is one problem with that plan: we have leaves all over our lawn. My idea of one more quick cut before the snow flies is a good one, but first I’ll have to spend an hour vacuuming up the dead leaves.

If I had done it two weeks ago there would have been very little clean up to do first and it would have been much warmer outside. But I kept saying to myself, “the front yard doesn’t really need it yet, even though the back yard could use the cut now”. 

Well, four days ago I noticed that the front yard could use a mow. The grass was looking a little fuzzy, like the hair on your head does just before you go get a haircut. 

The thing is for the last four days the weather has been a little overcast and rainy – not optimal for getting out there with my lawnmower. 

This morning, however, with how sunny it is, I’m considering doing the task. I realize that the longer I leave the leaf problem, it will only get worse since our tree still has about sixty percent of its leaves hanging on for dear life. Many haven’t even changed colour yet. 

But that extra work of getting rid of the leaves before I cut the grass is creating a dilemma of whether to cut or not. I’m wondering if I’ve missed my window. Maybe I should just let the grass go until spring.  

I remember when I was a kid and it was my turn to cut the grass in the backyard. The task would take an hour and a half; there was never a time I wanted to do it. I would look at the lawn and think, “maybe I’ll wait till tomorrow”. 

I always left it too late and then paid for it. I ended up spending two hours cutting the grass because it was so long. 

I hated that task, but when I left it too late, I hated it even more.

You would think that so many years later I would have learned my lesson and not put off the things I should do … but here I am, considering if I’ve left it too late. 

I think I have one more window today and tomorrow before it rains again. 

I have a few other things that I need to attend to first. … I hope in the spring I won’t be shaking my head and muttering that I left it too late again.

Here’s the thing: Often we have adequate time to get something done, accomplished or settled. But how quickly that time goes. Concerning your relationship with God, don’t make the mistake and think you have lots of time. Be sure you have a relationship with Jesus Christ now. You don’t want to miss your window and for eternity shake your head that you left it too late.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What are you most prone to leaving until it is too late? Leave your comments and questions below.

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Out-Of-Hand – Don’t Let That Happen To You

There are some things you need to stay on top of or they get out-of-hand. … I know this from experience.

out-of-hand - don't let that happen to you

There are so many things that can get away on us and lawn care is one of them.

When I was young and living at home, my brother and I had to share the lawn cutting duties. One time I would cut the lawn and the next time John would cut it.

Cutting the front lawn was a piece of cake. It maybe took ten minutes to give the grass a haircut. 

But the back lawn, that was a different story. It would take an hour to an hour and a half to get through cutting it all. Both John and I would avoid getting to it as long as we could. 

The only problem was that the longer we left it the more out-of-hand it got. The grass would get so long that we would have to go back and forth with the mower, otherwise it would get all clogged up inside with grass. 

This was back in the 60’s and 70’s. We cut the grass with an electric push mower, not one with a battery. We had at least two one-hundred foot extension chords to make it to the far reaches of the lawn. 

It was a bit of a nightmare. 

Recently I’ve been looking out our patio window at the house across the way from us. A new family moved in there in the last three months. 

All I can say is the guy’s definitely let his lawn get out-of-hand. 

The previous owner meticulously kept her lawn. The lawn was fertilized, over-seeded, weed free, always neatly trimmed. 

Not the new guy. The people on either side of him have cut their grass three times since he last cut his. His lawn is long, lush and thick … you could hide a baby deer in that lawn, it’s so long!

What amazes me is that he has a lawn tractor to cut the grass – that’s not even a hardship! It’s like riding around your yard on a slow moving go cart. He has no reason not to stay on top of it. 

Well, the other day he finally got to it … and I was able to solve a huge mystery. 

… You know those huge, circular rings that have appeared in farmers’ fields? Some think they are from UFOs. Well, they’re not. My neighbour has those circular rings and they are made with a John Deer 20756 lawn tractor. 

He even left the evidence, just in case someone might call NASA to investigate. 

His John Deer is still on the lawn. It’s been there for two days now, through at least a couple of rain storms.

I figure he either ran out of gas or clogged the cutter up and doesn’t know how to add fuel or extract the grass. 

I hope he’s learned that you can’t let your lawn go or it will get out-of-hand. I’m a little doubtful though.

Here’s the thing: Sin has a way of creeping into your life and settling in. When that happens, sin can get out-of-hand if you don’t address it. Don’t let sin take over. Regularly repent and confess your sins to the Lord. It will keep your life in check. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has gotten out-of-hand for you lately? Leave your comments and questions below.

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A Community Schedule Is A Great Idea

We should collectively schedule things as a community. … That might sound a little controlling, but I think it would give us more peace in the long run.

a community schedule is a great idea

I’m certainly not advocating having to do everything at the same time as everyone else in the community. I just have one thing in mind. 

We are already sort of scheduled in our city as to when we can use our washing machines at home. The city charges us more money for using electricity and water at certain times of the day. They basically want everyone to do their washing in the evening or early mornings.  

It’s not a forced thing, but you pay more if you don’t bend to the community’s wishes.

At times the city has also issued a watering ban for households. We can only water our grass on even or odd numbered days, depending on our house numbers.

Therefore, we basically have a precedent for getting everybody on the same schedule. 

I’m thinking it would be nice to get everyone on the same grass mowing schedule.

It wouldn’t be necessary if everyone had an electric lawnmower, but with so many gas grass cutters, it would really help. 

At my cottage we are in a community and, though the properties are small, there are a lot of them. There is no mistaking the sound when someone pulls out their Briggs and Stratton and pulls the chord. 

The guy that designed the mufflers for lawnmowers must have once worked for Harley Davidson. Every gas lawnmower sounds like a 750 cc roadster! If you close your eyes you can picture the guys from the movie, “Easy Rider”, cruising down the highway.

A lawn doesn’t take that much time to cut. But what’s bad about it is that somehow the noise gives other people the idea that it’s time to cut their lawn too. 

They don’t get out there together at the same time. Instead, it’s more like a chain reaction. When one lawnmower stops, another one starts right up. 

You can hear the sound of lawnmowers for an hour or more. 

Especially when I’m at the cottage, I want peace and quiet. 

I want to hear the sounds of birds chirping, crickets cricketing, and paint drying. – Yes, I want that sound over the sound of some four stroke engine, winding up to top speed. 

And then there’s the guy who made the mistake of putting his weed eater gas into his lawnmower tank. That oil and gas mixture makes a lawnmower sound like a sixteen year old with an old car, trying to impress the girls by continually revving his engine. 

So if we could schedule everyone to get out there and cut their grass on Saturdays at, say, 11 am, well, that would be just great. 

We could all wear ear plugs or put in head phones and listen to music. 

… And I would have some peace the rest of the day.

Here’s the thing: There is a lot of sound in our world. All that noise will drown out hearing what God might want to say to you. Take time in the peaceful part of the day to read and listen to God for His guidance, encouragement and even His correction. God likes it when the sounds of other things are quieted in us. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When is the peaceful time of your day? Leave your comments and questions below.

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