Where There's Smoke, There's Fire

[Audrey_M]

I’ve been putting off getting rid of the leaves in my yard the past two weekends. I like to think I did it because we had rainy weather and the leaves would be too wet.

This weekend was one of no excuses. We had only a smattering of rain early in the week and then the weather has gotten nicer and nicer with each passing day. Today is one of brilliant sunshine and temps in the low 60’s, which is unseasonably mild for southern New England.

It was now or never.

I started trying to rake out the leaves from under shrubs and against the house. I noticed that the handle to the big rake had been broken….DS ran over it with his car. Still, I figured I could use it, because it was just cracked in places... I started to rake, only to realize that the handle was fiberglass. So a little bit of blood on my hands within five minutes and I had to give up the ghost with that one. I went inside and tried running my hands under cold water to see if I could gently rinse out any bits of fiberglass. I may have gotten some, but definitely not all of the little buggers. I held my hand up to that brilliant sunlight and it was as if someone had sprinkled diamond dust all over my hands or that I had given a cactus a firm handshake.

Needless to say, I could not find the tweezers. DS belongs to the school of what is yours is ours (and will become mine) and what is mine is mine.

So I was ready use to my new rider mower that I bought this spring when I realized that I could no longer mow a yard that is ¾ of an acre with a push mower. My kind neighbor has been helping me out the past two years, but couldn’t help out this year. While it would be lovely if DS could help out dear old mom, that is not in the cards.

Being a tree hugger at heart, the plan was to mulch the leaves. I paid good money for that mulching blade. Why spend all that money on bags, filling them with leaves/lawn clippings that get dumped in a landfill where they will not decompose?

Finally I am ready to mount my still shiny new rider mower (can I deduct this as a medical expense?). I pause for a few seconds or minutes, trying to remember how to start the darned thing. I flooded the engine, but did get the thing going without too much drama.

Mind you, I have enough trees in my yard to qualify as a national forest. Nevertheless, I put on my bravest leaf warrior face today as I backed my trusty rider mower out of the garage.

Trusty? I now wonder. Part way through my leaf destroying mission, I seemed to notice smoke coming out from the hood of my steed. Turn of the engine, put the darned thing in park and pop open the hood. Yup, there is smoke. Leaves and pine needles had been kicked up against the internal muffler and were catching on fire.

Yikes!. How far is this to the gas line? Quick take is that’s okay unless flames shoot up sky high. There are tons of pine needles on the ground, with embers dropping onto them. I run and grab a hoe and rake out the pine needles from under my steed and proceed to tamp out any small fires that kept popping up.

I did not give up after that, but kept an eye and nose out for smoke. It happened two more times before I finished my mission. I am happy to report the house is still standing, the mower is still working and parked in the garage and I am off to take a well deserved nap, with a yard clear of leaves.

Audrey

[COBOB]

My partner and I will be driving past your house next Friday.  We're flying into Logan and spending the week right on the beach in Westbrook.  Hope the weather stays nice.

Bob

[Sumanadevii]

It was leaf burning day here.  I can still see the embers glowing from my window.  We live on an acre and the job is never done.  The trees are eons old and huge!  I can still see my sons climbing them...and hear myself screaming "get down!!!!! right this minute"....Today I am not much help in the yard.  My huband goes solo.  However, I enjoyed it all from a chair...lol....In fact, wait, I enjoyed it even more from a chair!

[Sparkysarah]

Loved your story and think you are joining Quix with "humorous tales of adversity". I hope that when you wake up there is not another bed of leaves!  This reminds me of when I was a child and my Dad tried clearing a beach of seaweed, only to retutn the next day to find it had all returned and the job was waiting to be done again. At least with leaves there is an end when winter arrives!

Love Sarah x