Laziest Mower In The World

Much to the consternation of the neighborhood, not only do I keep a rooster who crows incessantly, but also I avoid mowing the lawn as much as possible.

Limited time, more rain than usual, and a general contempt for the act has caused my grass to not only grow past knee high, but actually go to seed. My lawn doesn't need to be 'mowed', it needs to be 'harvested'!

Well, yesterday was one of those days that was made for living! The sky was clear, the sun was shining, it was not overly hot, so I fired up the mower AND let the flock out! With the grass at this level, there is no way to do the entire lawn in one shot. So, I concentrated on the parts that face the roadside and the part shared with the neighbors. The chickens are not overly afraid of the mower, but neither do they love it. So, they found other more serene places to be whilst I set about the task at hand.

I don't obsess over the state of my lawn (obviously!) But moreover, I rather delight in the wildflowers that grow within and the multi-levels that lawn achieves. It becomes downright a 'meadow' when it is particularly out of hand. I love it. Everyone else, not so much. So … I'll mow.

It pains me to mow through the cornflowers, lady's thumb, clover, wild strawberry, thistle, goldenrod, dandelions, plantain, etc. just in the name of having flat, even green. As I mow, the crickets make way, the moths and butterflies alike take flight, and I have disturbed their manner of life. Yet, mow I do. The chickens don't like the grass when it is overly long either, so for their sake and for the sake of neighborhood 'beautification' I'll do the task.

Hard to tell from the photo, but here is a section that I mowed against the sheer length of the grass gone to seed. I am of the mind to leave even a small patch of the seeded grass to replenish the lawn naturally. Birds, bugs, and other critters might make off with some of the seed, the good earth will take the rest and hopefully life will be renewed once again.



On such a glorious day, the flock enjoys the freshly mowed patches as they scratch around for tasty greens and insects. There are somes that love the sunshine.

And then again, there are somes that love the shade.

Lawn clippings are deposited in the run so the flock can continue scratching away once they are obliged to go back inside.

And, at the end of the day, herself will come home a hard day's work to a wee 'vase' of wildflowers from our own yard to decorate the table in a very simple, homespun way.