Welcome to today’s Street Prophets Coffee Hour, where politics meets up with religion, art, nature, and life. Take a cuppa and a cookie or two, and join us.
I’ve been having a time of it lately! Earlier this month I was about halfway through mowing my yard (the acre around my house, which I call a “lawn”) and the mower belt slipped off. No worries, I think. I’ll just call Rod, the owner of the only lawnmower repair shop in this part of the county. It may take a while to get in, but there’s no HOA to complain if the grass gets a little shaggy.
“A little shaggy”, huh? I spent days trying to figure out why there was no answer at R&S Equipment. Getting worried, I Googled for other lawn mower repair in my area (I already knew the answer to that one, but I was hoping). The nearest was over 30 miles away. I flagged down the guy across the road, who was doing lawn work of his own. Who did he use? Rod, of course. We commiserated for a while but I was no closer to getting the job done. I dug into my wallet for the business card of the guy with the trailer who would take my mower in for me because he also mows lawns. Could he mow my yard? (No, too busy with his regulars.) Could he tell me where I could get someone to replace the belt? It was still intact, just off the flywheels. I could have done it myself if I’d just known where the tensioner is.
Let’s say the guy is a bit less than reliable, timewise. A full week and a day later (by this time some of the grass is hip high—yes, I know I’m only 5’ tall, but still. . .) he finally made it to my place, showed me where the tensioner is, and got the belt back in place.
Three days later, I’ve finished the mowing. Thank goodness! There’s no HOA or city codes department for the neighbors to complain to, but it does slow me down, trying to get around a yard through the grass. Not your city bluegrass lawn, mind you, but one that tends to grow lots of little bluestem and other tough prairie grasses. And Brandon, across the way? He bought a new push mower to do his acre. Good luck with that!
(Anyone looking for an opportunity for a small business? Rod was always swamped!)
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I’m getting the yard set up for full-on summer weather now. Tomatoes are planted in their bins. Green beans, too. Squash and cucumbers. Potatoes are up and healthy. I’m preparing for a shortage of produce, just in case.
And I’m setting things up for the birds and wildlife, too. You can make a solar water fountain for the birds out of almost anything.
Hummingbirds aren’t the only ones to visit the sugar feeders.
I used to get orchard orioles, too, but for the past 15 years I’ve only had the Baltimores.
I use old rake heads to hold oranges for the orioles. I had no idea tanagers would come, too.
What’s happening in your world?
While you’re here, check out this week’s Community Needs List. And look out for each other.