First mow

Grass mowing machine

1830

What a difference a day makes. Snow flurries on Friday morning and by Sunday afternoon the neighborhood was buzzing with lawn mowers and hedger cutters.  

Grass mowing machine

2013

Well, the machines look the same, but lawn mowing fashions have sure changed over the years. You don't have to dress up in steam punk garb anymore.

I love the first mow of the spring. In fact, it might be my favorite gardening day of the year. By that time (John's "tradition" does not allow mowing before daylight savings time) I've already been working in the beds for weeks, pulling weeds and doing other rough work.

The first trim on the lawn and around the border edging is the icing on the cake. You probably know I do everything myself except mow-- I rely on my handyman for that. But I'm grateful for his services since I want to push a lawnmower around as much as I want to touch any power tool. (Which is not at all.)

This is a nice as our "lawn" ever looks.  Green as Ireland, but look closely and you'll see almost as much moss as grass.  In our neighborhood, it isn't PC to use chemicals or water the grass, so everything is crispy brown by August, including the moss. In the soggy Northwest, tap water is more precious (and expensive) than it is in Phoenix.

Not much is blooming yet, but garden plants are beautiful in that perfect, moist sort of way. In a few days these alliums will send up the 5 foot flower stalks.

Old peony plants are just coming out of the ground, looking like prehistoric creatures.

Hyacinths and daffodils blooming in time for the Easter bunny next week.  There's a rumor going around on weather.com that Seattle could reach a scorching 65 degrees on Easter Sunday.  March goes in like a lion, and out like a lamb.