Confused????

When I started this blog I did it so I could keep track of my reading for my Notable Committee. When a few people started reading it I felt quite a bit of pressure "to produce" and so started commenting on my life more so the few year was a mixture of book reviews, dating woe stories and rants about dead animals and mowing. Eventually I decided that since people at work read this blog I would move my dating stories and other assorted rants to my myspace page so that people who wanted to read about books wouldn't have that inflicted on them, not to mention the fact that the people at work don't really need to know that much about my dating life...or lack thereof.

But, because it is tradition, I will comment a bit on lawns. Men seem quite enamoured of them and I have learned since purchasing a home that some neighbors care a great deal about them as well. BUT, I don't get it. In a few minutes, I will go to the store and buy a weed and feed fertilizer in order to get my grass to grow...and then I will spend the rest of the summer either watering it to keep it growing or cutting it to keep it from growing too much. Does this make sense to anyone else? Why exactly are we doing this again? There are other plants, many of which are currently scattered throughout my lawn. They are green. Some have pretty flowers. Most don't seem to need any water or food. Why are these bad again?

In other homeowner news, the Roeland Park sustainability committee is having an Earth Day Open House today from 3 -5 pm at Roeland Park City Hall (4600 W 51st St, Roeland Park, KS). There will be information on Rain Gardens (which I have planned on doing for the past few years but can't seem to work up the energy to actually do), recycling and composting. All very good things in my personal opinion. Hope to see you there.

Tucking Your Lawnmower in for the Winter

I got this in a gardening newsletter and had to laugh. This seems like something that I would do, right?

If you are done mowing for the year, be sure to service your
mower before putting it away. Make sure you drain the gas tank of
gasoline-powered engines or use a gasoline stabilizer. Untreated
gasoline can become thick and gummy. A few drops of oil squirted inside
the spark plug hole (after you remove the spark plug) will help
lubricate the cylinder. While you have the spark plug removed, replace
it with a new one.

If your equipment has a battery, clean the battery terminals,
which usually corrode during the season. A wire-bristle brush is a good
tool for doing this. The battery can then be removed or connected to a
battery monitor that will keep it charged over winter. If you remove the
battery, be sure to store it in a protected location for the winter
season (a cool basement works best).

Now is also an excellent time to sharpen mower blades so
they'll be ready next spring.

Sharpening rotary mower blades is fairly straightforward. The
following steps will guide you through this process:
* Check the blade for major damage. If you can't fix it, it
likely will need to be replaced.* Remove grass and debris from the blade
with a moist cloth. Dry before beginning to sharpen the cutting edge.
* Remove nicks from the cutting edge, using a grinding wheel
or hand-file.
* If using a grinding wheel, match the existing edge angle to
the wheel. If hand-filing, file at the same angle as the existing edge.
* Grind or file until the edge is 1/32 inch, about the size of
a period.
* Particularly with a grinding wheel, avoid overheating the
blade as this may warp it.
* Clean the blade with solvent or oil, much like if you were
cleaning a gun, for optimum winter storage. Avoid use of water as it
will promote rust.

Following these tips can help you better prepare your mower
for winter storage and also save you some steps this coming spring. (WU)