Friday, September 27, 2013

Yep... I'm a Freak-a-Zoid!!!

Hey Yo:

So, speaking of "mowing the yard" (from last week), this week I'll share with you how my weekends used to be spent, and why that was kinda, sorta, the driving force of Donna and I moving to an apartment.  Not the only reason, but it was up there.  Hang in there with me...

Straight Lines...

In the ten years that Donna and I lived in our house, the majority of my weekends were spent out in the yard, literally, for hours.  And it's because, as Donna refers to it, I am a "Straight Lines" kind of guy.  That would be Code for:  I'm a 'Freak-a-Zoid.'  And I probably got it from my Dad, who taught me how to mow.  Mowing is actually very easy.  But, doing it the right way is not so much hard, but it sure takes a lot longer.  

Mowing 101 (The Basics)...
 
#1:  You absolutely have to keep your wheel lines straight.
#2:  You absolutely have to keep your paths an equal width.
#3:  Your left wheels go in the 'line' of the previous right wheels.
#4:  You never 'shoot' the grass outward toward any pavement.
#5:  You learn to edge a razor sharp line with a weed-eater, not an edger.
#6:  You don't blow into the street, you blow, and scoop up into a bag for trash.
#7:  You hand pull your weeds from the beds rather than weed-eat them.
#8:  You never turn your mower short of a current path, leaving high grass.

 
 
Yep, that's me.  I learned from my Dad.  I'm not so sure Shane, my youngest Son, grasped #8 from me.  Certainly not #5.  And he absolutely could never understand why, when he mowed a path moving forward, I would have him then back up with the mower over the same path.  Even when I had him get down on his hands and knees to see some blades of grass still sticking up and that a second 'swath' with the mower would usually cut those 'stragglers' down.  He would ask:  Why are we mowing the yard twice?" (frontwards & backwards)  You see, hours later, when I was finally done, there would be no 'stragglers.'  The edge would be as sharp as a razors edge.  The sidewalks, driveway, and street would be free from cut grass.  Each tree would have a circled razor edge between the grass and the mulch.  Simply put, it was a beautiful sight.  But, hours had been sucked from my day.
 
Now, you may ask...  Why not hire a Lawn Service?  Pour a Libation, sit back, and watch them while you chillax.  Well, been there, done that.  After about a month, I couldn't stand it any longer.  They were "Paid Professionals" and yet, I could clearly see that they did not have a clue as to what they were doing.  I know this...  They were each in a really big hurry to get to 'the next job.'  And so, I went back to mowing and spending hours in the yard.  And then, we decided to move.  And you know what???  The Lawn Service that mows the grounds at our Apartment Complex drives me absolutely nuts!!!  They don't know what in the heck they are doing either.  I just have to look the other way.
  
In Other News...
 
Speaking of News:  Does anybody remember this line...  "Jane, you ignorant slut!"  And do you remember who said it and to whom he said it???  Ha!!!
 
 
Stop the presses!!!  I have started working out.  No, seriously, I am working out every other day now.  Quit laughing.  For a solid week now.  Taking baby steps.  
 
And then, there's this:  On Tuesday night, 7 year old Munchkin called and said:  "Papa, guess what:  I have my first loose tooth!!!"  I said, "Wow, is the Tooth Fairy going to visit you?"  And her reply was:  "Yes, I have written a letter and I have requested two dollars and twenty two cents!!!"  Go figure!!!  I also asked her if she was going to tie a string to her tooth and then to a doorknob and slam the door shut?  She said "Yes."  Not so sure she understood the concept.  Pics to follow.
 
House update:  Last week, I told you we had a contract on the house.  We were waiting for the Inspection.  That happened on Saturday and it produced some interesting results.  It included a Termite Inspection (no termites) and warranted a Foundation Inspection.  To make a long story short, the Foundation Company recommended raising the front of the house ONE HALF INCH!!!  (1/2")  To the tune of $2,625Not Happening!!!  We made our feelings known.  The contract is a 10 Day Contract...  It expires at midnight tonight.  We'll see if they say Yes and we move forward, or they come back and say No.  Heels dug in!!!  Stay tuned...
 
Takin' it "To the House"

Music:  This week, a little different sound, but a good one, to be sure...  Hope you will give this one a Listen.  Ottmar Liebert with Barcelona Night.  Enjoy...  (source



Houston Texans Football:  WOW!!!  'Nuff said...

Market Watch:  A bit of slide backwards for the Dow, closing yesterday at 15,328.  On the other hand, another surge to higher ground, as Facebook closed at 50.39...  Gazillionaire's abound!!!

The End:  Yet another week gone by.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you back on Mix Tape Tuesday.  Til then...

Be safe, be smart, and always show your Smile...  It's Happy Friday.

adios...  vaya con dios

24 comments:

  1. I really hope you stick to your guns on the house. That is absolutely insane with no benefit to you. The lawn story cracked me up!!!! A little OCD maybe? When Jeff and I got married one of our vows was to never own a lawn mower. We broke that vow when our oldest son was old enough to mow the grass. Now we don't have to pay anyone to do it anymore.

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    1. Debster... We are sticking to our guns.

      Your "way" is probably a good way. I should have tried that way back when. Ha!!!

      Thanks, Slu

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  2. Hey Slu, welcome to my world of all things being done proper. Yes, we must have straight lines, perfect curves, razor sharp edges etc ha ha ha ha. It's a pain in the posterior but if we don't care about things in this world who will? Can you imagine walking down a street and everything is crooked? Don't want people getting dizzy now :) And don't want the streets to look like a jungle either.

    As for the lawn service at the apartment complex, just grab the mower off that bloke, give him a beer and tell him to 'sit, watch and copy' Show him how it should be done, but then again, he might expect a beer every time.

    Now, as for the one half inch - was that guy on drugs or something??? Some of that dosh (money) can go towards the tooth fairy :)

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    1. My Man... Our "world" is what it is, but I would not have it any other way. lol

      Yes, the 1/2" is, to me, just insane. Not happening. We'll see where this goes.

      As for the tooth fairy??? We'll see how it shakes out. lol

      Thanks for stopping by, Slu Have a great week.

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  3. OCD m ust run in the family. Dad had to have the straightest cotton rows and the cleanest fields. He would walk the rows after we hoed them to check our work. If you accidentally hoed down a piece of cotton you were in trouble. My brothers would push the piece of cotton back up in the row and dad would catch them everytime because it would turn yellow. I learned to bury it and he wouldn't catch it. You know that is okay, because dad was known for being the best farmer around, other farmers asked for advice when to plant and what to plant. I was fortunate to have a honest and hard working father.

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    1. Cuz, I hear you. They were "two peas in a pod." And we are blessed to have had them as Fathers. Hope all is well. Thanks for stopping by, cuz

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  4. You mow EXACTLY the same way mu hubs does! But I have to say, I have one of the nicest looking lawns on the block! Hey, keep us all posted on the house sale--I pray it goes through for you guys!

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    1. All the work, all the sweat, so many hours... but at the end of the day: Driving up in your driveway, or sitting out back on the patio and taking that "snap-shot" with your eyes made it all worth it.

      Thanks... Will keep you posted. Thanks for stopping by, Slu

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  5. Yes, I remember "Jane, you ignorant slut", that was back when SNL was at its finest.

    I used to mow somewhat similarly to how you mow, then I turned the mowing over to my oldest son. If you ever saw how he mowed my lawn you'd need a valium.

    Good for you digging your heels in on the house. I did the same with price on my last house and got exactly what I wanted. Hope you do too.

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    1. HA!!! You are right. At its best.

      LOL on the mowing now. I probably would.

      We did... we'll see what happens next.

      Have a great weekend and Thanks, Slu

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  6. Great Post...Your Like Me (The Way I Was RAISE)...Everything Perfect...We Must Be Related to Jack Nicholson....The Movie "As Good As It Gets"..I Had A 2 Acre Lot..Landscaped (10) years Two Mowers (Riding)..and A push Mower...2 Day Job..with the Boys Helping..I Was The Weed Eater...Dont Miss This..To Big...I Can Relate...I Am Not As Bad As I Use To Be..I Let A Little Dirt Settle...Good Luck On Your Home..If You Sell Its Like Hitting The Lotto...Another Great Post...Looking For Some Awesome Music Next Week...Just Join ...Groove Record Shop...Sharing The Music...Good Luck Texans..Go Irish...Deb Moat

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    1. Thanks Deb... Yes, it's in my blood. Some people just don't understand. Don't blame them.

      Thanks for dropping by. Good luck to your Irish. Slu

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  7. Oh boy does this bring back memories. As you know mom and dad's perfectionism didn't rub off on me. You are the only one of the three of us that got it :-) . Stand your ground with your house, that's crazy.
    Big Sis

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    1. Hey Sis... Yes, the memories. How was I the only one??? I read your comment to Sambo (Munchkin's Mom) and she asked: "Out of three, I got stuck with the "perfectionism" one???" It used to drive her crazy when she was in the house. But, now out and in her own place, a little of it has rubbed off. Ha!!!

      Thanks for the visit, Lil Bro

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  8. Just came in from mowing the yard. Well I sure did think about how to mow....hum...I just drive my hubbys mower and some how we get it all done...and before that I washed my bus...not bad for half of a day...now it is time to order pizza and get ready for the game.....good luck on your house!

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    1. At least you were thinking about it: Ha!!!

      The Game: :-(

      Thanks for stopping by, Slu

      Delete
  9. My Dad used to have me mow my parents lawn when I was younger, and to speed things up I would try to job with the mower. Unfortunately it couldn't keep up and would stall.

    Thanks for stopping by this weekend and linking up!!

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    1. Hey Paula... Thanks for stopping by. Much appreciated, Slu

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  10. Whoa, you must be related to my neighbour :) My husband mows in one circular path, starting on the outer edge and working his way in to the middle. That way he never has to change directions. He's all about efficiency.

    "Jane you ignorant slut"-Dan Aykroyd to Jane Curtin in "Point/CounterPoint"(I think?) Sadly, I can't remember what they were arguing about.

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    1. Greetings...

      Circular??? Ha... You know: It's whatever works for ya. That's great.

      And you are right!!! That was a funny segment when they did it.

      Thanks for dropping by, Slu

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  11. I'm with Deb, Freak-a-zoid :) We like a pretty lawn, but we also like relaxing on the weekend! Plus, we have so many dang weeds, we're usually busy trying not to be swallowed up by those.
    I wouldn't want to deal with that hassle with the house either. Can you give them some cash out at closing so THEY can do that?? I've heard of cash for new carpeting and things like that. Good luck.

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    1. Hey Joy... Chillaxing is sweet!!! Yes, we could have worked out a cash deal. But, NO!!! ha...

      Thanks for stopping by, Slu

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  12. Slu,
    Mark agrees about the weed whacker vs.the edger. I jut like a straight line. I am, however the mower who starts at the edge of everything and then goes in smaller circles until I hit the middle. Those last few turns are an accomplishment. Haha. For your perfection of all things lawn care, you should consider mowing for the MLB. THose yards always impress me :)
    How does one raise the house a half an inch? I'd hate to know how uneven our home is. Stick to your guns, man.
    Keep up the working out thing. More energy in the long run will keep you mowing forever :)
    Smiles,
    MM

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    1. HA... Straight Lines!!! That's me. Agreed: MLB lawns are amazing. lol

      1/2 inch = CRAZY!!!

      Thanks for stopping by, Slu

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