A power mower is not a pleasant machine whether you ride it, push it or walk behind it as it ambles along over your home turf. The sound of it is annoying, it’s work a chore that needs repeating almost weekly not to mention maintenance; in short, not a very pleasant device at all. Still, I do seek the good among the bad and I have fortunately been able to determine two worthwhile qualities in support of it. They aren’t much but it’s all I have.

First, there is the walk. I do not have a riding mower though friends of mine do and their yards are a postage stamp by comparison; to each his own. My mower is self-propelled which means all I do is walk behind it. One day I got out my GPS and carried it with me as I went. I created a pattern that allowed for one continuous run with as few stops as possible. When I finished I found I had walked one point eight miles within the boundaries of my yard. Not too shabby.