nothing runs like a deere!

I rather like John Deere tractors...and have had one of my own for twenty years now. In 1988 we sold our trailer, and bought a new riding lawn mower with the proceeds...bright green and yellow. For all these years, it has done a superb job of mowing a vast expanse of lawn...we share it with our kids now, so it does double duty. Lawn mowing has been primarily my job over the years...and I rather enjoy mowing the lawns....I do it just right!

But, although 'nothing runs like a deere'...even deer get old and tired. I suggested that possibly we could replace our ride-on mower for this season, as it was having a few issues (well, quite a few issues!). But it seems buying a new farm tractor took priority over the lawn equipment, so we are still using 'old faithful'.

Let me tell you that lawn mowing has become quite a process...especially this week! First I pedaled my bike to the farmyard to retrieve the mower from the shop...hooked up the trailer where we dump all the clippings...and drove the half mile back to our yard with the mower and trailer. Since the lawn had not been mowed for six days, it was more than the mower could handle. Before I had completed the first round it was plugged solid. ( This is where good gardening gloves are essential.) I pulled apart the blower spout and removed all the grass...but it was still plugged somewhere underneath. Somehow, I had to get my hands under the mower deck to unplug it...and finally found a small curb I could drive it up on.

I was back in business...but not for long. I repeated this whole process many times!

Besides no longer having the capability to blow the heavy lawn grass into the bags, our good old mower has all kinds of other problems. The toggle switch that engages the mower only works on occasion...but usually it will kick in if I bounce up and down on the seat (apparently there is a safety switch under the seat, so I'm told).

And, as you can see in the photo, the battery light is always on. There seems to be a problem with the charging system...so I'm always a little reluctant to turn off the tractor, since it won't necessarily start again. I made that mistake last week, and had to call hubby to come and give me a boost. He was planting corn several miles away and wasn't about to come start my mower for me...but a few minutes later, my son came to the rescue.

Back to this last fiasco...long before I was done with my bumper crop, my trailer was overflowing...and I needed a ladder to dump the bags!


I won't even tell you what I did with the last few rounds of grass clippings. By the time I was done mowing the lawn, three hours had gone by...it was raining...and I was less than pleased with the performance of my old John Deere...it's just plain worn out!

So here's the deal! I'm thinking of ordering in a few different lawn mower tractors to try out for a few weeks (I gather that's how it's done these days)...and I'm sure Broni (my DIL) will be totally in favour. We'll give them all a fair trial...might even let you vote on which one we should buy...and before long, we will have a new John Deere lawn mower! As you can tell, I am completely unbiased.

And (since we are on the lawnmower topic), stop by and pay Trish a visit. She has a great contest going on for her 100th post...and she got a new lawnmower on the weekend!



Oh yes...about the gardening gloves...


I go through umpteen pairs of gloves each season...and usually wear through the fingers of the right hand in no time. But I just bought a pack of gardening gloves at Costco that I love...and so far, no holes! They are a combination fabric and rubber...fit like a glove and are so easy to work with. They come in a six-pack and cost $9.99...so if you have a Costco nearby, check them out.

That's it for today...and I'll let you know when the new John Deere arrives!