Good morning!
Happy Father's Day to the Dads out there and just plain hello to the rest of you! I am out of coffee so I just wanted to say hello quickly before I ran out to get some. I need coffee badly this morning, I have to go mow my lawn. I could leave it for my son, but he shouldn't have to do it on Father's Day. Now, if only I could get that thing started....
I haven't mowed a lawn in years. Actually, decades. The last time I mowed a lawn was before I left home, during a locust siege in the Chicago area. It was sometime in the 70's and I had been swimming in our pool. Our lawn was so large that we all had to take turns mowing it. My Dad came to the fence that was around the pool and said, in his deep booming voice..."Margaret...your turn." So, I climbed the stairs that led out of the pool and took the lawn mower from my brother. I didn't bother changing out of my swim suit, I just started pushing the self propelled mower. I wanted to get back in the pool ASAP. As I was mowing, I came across a shirt. I guess it was my father's, I don't know. Anyway, rather than taking it in the house, I put it on over my bikini and resumed mowing. I turned around the bushes to mow the area in between the street and the hedges and I noticed an itch on my left shoulder. I figured it was one of those nylon threads and just literally brushed it off. After a couple of brushings, it still annoyed me so I pulled the shirt open with my left hand and looked inside it.
It wasn't a thread, it was a huge locust!!!!
I ran down the street screaming like Freddy was behind me and the self propelling lawn mower kept going only it turned left and went across the street. My father came running out to see why I was screaming and the cars were honking. I was headed one way and the lawn mower was headed another way and traffic was stopped in front of the house because the lawn mower was moving rather slowly. Dad had no clue what the heck was happening.
Eventually, I got the shirt off and threw it. I started to go back home and my Dad was standing there with the lawn mower.
"Why did you do that?" he asked with a bewildered look upon his face.
"There was a bug in that shirt."
"What shirt?"
"That shirt down the street."
"Down the street?"
"Yeah, I took it off and threw it."
"Well, go get it."
"Uh...Dad...I'd rather not...there's a bug in it."
"GO GET THE SHIRT"
So, I grabbed a rake that happened to be near me and headed back down the street in that bikini. When I got to the shirt, I used the rake to pick it up with when I suddenly realized that I was standing in the middle of what seemed like thousands of locusts. I threw the rake and ran home.
Dad had been watching this but he was at such a distance that he couldn't have seen all the locusts. As I approached him, he asked once again, "Why did you do that?"
"Dad, it was awful, there were bugs EVERYWHERE!"
"Margaret, go get the rake and the shirt."
"I'm sorry Dad, I can't do that."
"Yes you can young lady now MARCH!"
So down the street I headed again, still in that stupid bikini. As I got close to the rake, I could hear the locusts and then I saw them all so I just screamed again and ran home. My father stood there fuming, hollering for me to go get the rake and the shirt.
That's when I learned something about Dear Old Dad. His bark is worse than his bite.
"No sir. I am NOT going back there and there's not a thing you can do to make me. Beat me if you need to but I am NOT going back there."
I was expecting a smack of some sort, but Dad just shook his head and started down the street. I dove back in the pool and my younger brother finished the lawn.
So, that was my last lawn mowing experience and now I guess I have to think about the bugs as I mow the lawn. I won't be in a bikini this time, actually, I think I'll put on knee high socks and jeans and a long sleeved shirt...and a hat. And gloves. I'd wear mosquito netting if I had any. I wonder where you get that stuff?
OK, I need some coffee...see ya soon!
Meg
Happy Father's Day to the Dads out there and just plain hello to the rest of you! I am out of coffee so I just wanted to say hello quickly before I ran out to get some. I need coffee badly this morning, I have to go mow my lawn. I could leave it for my son, but he shouldn't have to do it on Father's Day. Now, if only I could get that thing started....
I haven't mowed a lawn in years. Actually, decades. The last time I mowed a lawn was before I left home, during a locust siege in the Chicago area. It was sometime in the 70's and I had been swimming in our pool. Our lawn was so large that we all had to take turns mowing it. My Dad came to the fence that was around the pool and said, in his deep booming voice..."Margaret...your turn." So, I climbed the stairs that led out of the pool and took the lawn mower from my brother. I didn't bother changing out of my swim suit, I just started pushing the self propelled mower. I wanted to get back in the pool ASAP. As I was mowing, I came across a shirt. I guess it was my father's, I don't know. Anyway, rather than taking it in the house, I put it on over my bikini and resumed mowing. I turned around the bushes to mow the area in between the street and the hedges and I noticed an itch on my left shoulder. I figured it was one of those nylon threads and just literally brushed it off. After a couple of brushings, it still annoyed me so I pulled the shirt open with my left hand and looked inside it.
It wasn't a thread, it was a huge locust!!!!
I ran down the street screaming like Freddy was behind me and the self propelling lawn mower kept going only it turned left and went across the street. My father came running out to see why I was screaming and the cars were honking. I was headed one way and the lawn mower was headed another way and traffic was stopped in front of the house because the lawn mower was moving rather slowly. Dad had no clue what the heck was happening.
Eventually, I got the shirt off and threw it. I started to go back home and my Dad was standing there with the lawn mower.
"Why did you do that?" he asked with a bewildered look upon his face.
"There was a bug in that shirt."
"What shirt?"
"That shirt down the street."
"Down the street?"
"Yeah, I took it off and threw it."
"Well, go get it."
"Uh...Dad...I'd rather not...there's a bug in it."
"GO GET THE SHIRT"
So, I grabbed a rake that happened to be near me and headed back down the street in that bikini. When I got to the shirt, I used the rake to pick it up with when I suddenly realized that I was standing in the middle of what seemed like thousands of locusts. I threw the rake and ran home.
Dad had been watching this but he was at such a distance that he couldn't have seen all the locusts. As I approached him, he asked once again, "Why did you do that?"
"Dad, it was awful, there were bugs EVERYWHERE!"
"Margaret, go get the rake and the shirt."
"I'm sorry Dad, I can't do that."
"Yes you can young lady now MARCH!"
So down the street I headed again, still in that stupid bikini. As I got close to the rake, I could hear the locusts and then I saw them all so I just screamed again and ran home. My father stood there fuming, hollering for me to go get the rake and the shirt.
That's when I learned something about Dear Old Dad. His bark is worse than his bite.
"No sir. I am NOT going back there and there's not a thing you can do to make me. Beat me if you need to but I am NOT going back there."
I was expecting a smack of some sort, but Dad just shook his head and started down the street. I dove back in the pool and my younger brother finished the lawn.
So, that was my last lawn mowing experience and now I guess I have to think about the bugs as I mow the lawn. I won't be in a bikini this time, actually, I think I'll put on knee high socks and jeans and a long sleeved shirt...and a hat. And gloves. I'd wear mosquito netting if I had any. I wonder where you get that stuff?
OK, I need some coffee...see ya soon!
Meg
posted by Meg Kelso | 5:18 AM
1 Comments:
Meg,
Sorry I kind of dropped off the planet for a bit there. The move went well, I am working full time, have my own place, and here's the best part. I met a nice, decent guy!! He works with me, sort of. We work at the same place but different shifts. I had a split shift (I worked 345p-1115p and had to be back in at 5a) so my friend who worked overnight told me to stay with him and he'd keep me awake. This other guy was there too. We ended up talking for the entire shift until he got off at 7. Then he picked me up from my shift at 9a and we spent the next 36 hours together. We went to lunch, the state park, dinner, and a tour of the city that took all night. Wish me luck with this one Meg. I've never met anyone so kind, generous, caring... When I finally was too tired to do anything else, he took me back to my car and made me promise to call him when I got home so he knew I was safe.
At the state park there is a place called "Boulder Field". A glacier melted here and literally left better than a square mile of boulders here. We decided to cross the field. He heldmy hand all the way so if I slipped, he could keep me from falling. I don't know if this behavior is normal, but it's foreign to me, so I think I'll just try not to analyze it too much, and just enjoy his company.
Give me a call sometime!
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