On Tuesday, September 8, we had our first snowfall for the 2020 season. Of course, it had been snowing in the high country for some time. I seem to remember a long time ago when the first snow of the year was on Labor Day; and, as I remember, it was after Larry and I had finished our college work and moved to the metro area. I don’t remember the exact date, but I do know that it was a tree-trimming storm.
With leaves still on the trees, the snow became too heavy to be tolerated by tree branches. Fallen limbs littered streets, sidewalks, and yards. Whole trees fell on houses, across sidewalks, and on parked cars. Navigating an automobile through the maze was less that pleasant; even, dangerous. The clean up took some time and chainsaws and trucks and people power.
Since that first snowfall, trees have been throwing leaf after leaf to the ground. Most are golden yellow from the cottonwood tree. I’m rather proud of that seventy-eight foot tall old girl? It must have a ton of leaves left up there at the seventy-eight foot level of branches. And, they will all come down and need to be picked up before we have major snow fall.
I use my lawn mower to pick up leaf fall. Well, I don’t actually do the work. I have a wonderful woman Rita who comes to mow my lawn, trim the bushes, and she will pick up the leaves. In the process of picking up the leaves, two hidden steel rebar shanks ruined the double blade of my electric mower.
I don’t like machines that use gasoline – except my automobile, of course. They frighten me. After Larry passed, I gave away the gas powered snow-blower and the gas-powered lawn mower because Michael and his boys agreed to take care of the snow on my driveway and sidewalks. I replaced the lawn mower with an electric-powered mower manufactured by the company, WORX. Less than three years ago, it was.
Knowing that I would need a new set of two cutting blades before the mower would be useable, again, I called the company to order the blades. The woman with whom I talked was very knowledgeable. She looked in her inventory and told me: 1) my machine was no longer being manufactured; it had been discontinued; and, 2) while looking for the blades in her inventory, there were none. NONE! At this point, can you hear me shouting? I’ve owned this mower for less than three years, and it’s been discontinued!. Hundreds of dollars for the machine. The batteries – two sets. The battery charger. Yes, shouting!
I looked on the web for aftermarket suppliers. None seem to have the blades I needed. And, so, I decided to write to the President and CCO (that’s Chief Creative Officer, if you please). I asked him what he intended to do about my lawn mower that is, currently, dead in the water with out blades to cut the grass. So, far, I haven’t heard from him or one of his subordinates, and it’s been more than a month.
I hoped to hear from him soon. My grass kept growing.
But, hark! Rita’s husband to the rescue. He took those warped blades home, straightened them in his vice, and sharpened them, After reinstalling them in the mower, everything worked like clockwork. What a gem! I don’t have to buy a new lawn mower. The hidden rebar is no longer in the ground to bend the blades anew. All is well in lawn mower land.
Be safe and well.
The Cranky Crone
If you have thoughtful feedback or questions, please let me know with a comment below.
5 replies on “First Snow Fall of 2020”
Are you curious about the rebar in the ground? I ask only because Larry was so meticulous — I wonder what his reason was for putting it there. He always had a reason. He was amazing – so smart, he could fix anything: We all miss him terribly. Someday you’ll say….”guess what, I figured out why Larry had put that rebar in the ground”…..and then we will know :). Love your posts – please keep writing!
Larry put in the rebar to hold the “walls” of his French intensive garden. The soil needed to be about six inches above the ground level. Two pieces of rebar strategically placed along each 1 x 4 walls held them in place. He had seven raised beds. Bryan removed the wood walls, but had not gotten around to removing the rebar. Rita didn’t see the rebar – weeds – and that is why the mower hit the metal. Thankfully, her husband was able to fix the mower!
I miss that tree of yours! Happy fall!
What a smart dude… to fix the blades rather than replace them. Too much of our society is “throw-away”. I’m glad it worked out for you.
Well aren’t you lucky? You have such nice friends. My young but dead tree was pulled out of the ground today by a young man who is hard working. He had advertised on Nest Door Neighbor and I thought he was too expensive when I first heard his estimate – $150. I was even a bit rude to him but he looked at and told me he could maybe do it for $80.
(My son had told me the 150 was a good price and I should have jumped on it) Well anyway he came…young college boy – Said he was going online to a college in Ft Hayes..Kansas. So felt sorry for him. He had a big pick ax which he unfortunately broke the handle not too long in the process. When I saw that and saw him working with a trowel or something I felt sorry again…gave him the ax Bob had bought years ago.
So he worked over two hours because the tree wasn’t big – he actually cut it up and it fit in my trash can. But it had some fierce roots which took about 20 or 30 extra minutes. Long Story/Short version…I gave him a $100 plus the ax and am going to have him come back to hook my Christmas lights into the eve (sp?) of my roof…the lower part. My home insurance isn’t good enough to go any higher:)