I’m still wondering how one of my neighbors (no, Pete, it’s not you) can spend 44 minutes (I clocked it precisely with my watch this time) mowing his back yard with a loud gas-powered lawn mower, given that his back yard is only about 50 feet by 40 feet. This particular fellow, who seems to be in good health, is not the only guy who zones-out while pushing a noisy lawn mower. I’ve seen others do it–the loud noise seems to put some people into Zen-like trance. It’s the same look I notice in other folks who get to that same mental state by simply walking down a street or through a park.
I’m wondering how my neighbor would react if I offered him a chance to exchange his noisy mower for a cheap green mower like the one I’ve owned for ten years – – it has no engine, so it’s fume-less; it’s also human powered.
I suspect that he’d miss the roar.
I recently moved from a townhouse we owned to one we rent. The move also moved us from self-maintenance of the grounds to a service.
I don't miss the fumes, although those are a wash to me, as I work in the inner city so can get my petro-chemical fix on the way to work. I DO, as you suggested, miss the noise. I also, oddly enough, miss the vibration transmitted up the handle to the palms of my hands, up to my shoulders. I'm tenser now than I was.
The only other times I hit that state are on long car trips, and then only when I'm driving with no talkative passengers and can crank up the stereo. Put me alone in a park and I get uncomfortable. Put me in a room with noise loud and deep enough to rattle my bones and I can start thinking. Oddly, if the noise goes away I don't notice for a few minutes.
So… give me a green mower that rattles enough to give me an arm and shoulder massage, along with an mp3 player loud enough to drown out those annoying nature-sounds, and I'll be great.
Also – anti-spam word was 'opine'. I am amused.
Thanks, Kenny. Sounds like I'm on to something. Maybe you could get one of those massage chairs if you can't get enough mowing time.
FYI – I am given a chance to set the anti-spam words, so what you see is not random.
nice little blog you have here, you know I find it funny, that the enviromental movement went to protect teh enviroment to humans are the plague on that enviroment. I find it funny still when we forget we are part of that enviroment. we are earthlings.
all the things that make life more enjoyable seems to be the bad guy, and everything that makes you miserable is the good guy. we forget that many things we do for our living also benefits the enviroment. as for co2 prodution, I have to say I don't believe for a moment that this is causing any kind of calamity they claim. it sounds like fearmongering for a political agenda rather than anything for the enviroment.
if you want to see real enviroment degradation visit some thrid world nations where natives have to uproot whole fields and trees and kill endangered species just to eat. poverty is not charming contrary to enviromental rhetoric.
to me global warming is just another poltical tool to rob americans of their prosperity. since the feds do not work for the american people but the bankers who are not all american, this alone makes anything they want suspect. we need it to be a bit warmer, after all we get droughts floods etc no matter which way the climate goes.
smart growth is an example, touted as better for humans in the long run turns out to be nothing of the kind, just ask seattle. it is simply there to put humans in the cage off the land off of freedom into total slavery. agenda 21 it is called.
my whole life the thing I hate worse then massive murders called wars, is malicous with evil intent lying.people who lie with a straight face who know they are lying to you, who lie to people who are better then they are. just to get more of their life, liberty and property. people who use the legit concerns of good hearted people for their own profit to the good hearted souls determent, and never really solving the actual problem they were supposed to.
humans are part of the earth and can solve problems with enviroment without higher taxes, without being put off their lands or blocking off vast areas to no human use whatsoever called the wetland project. it is about education, real truth not lies meant to deceive us into fema camps or into hard feudalism.
the more wealth we have for everyone, relativly speaking, the more resources we have to protect the enviroment, to buy up land keeping it out of the bankers and super wealthy (who would charge us rent to even breath their air) and keeping it in the local public sphere. to keep it for our enjoyment without paying fees, that way even poor people can enjoy the great outdoors. poor people cannot afford to be enviroment conscious, only wealthy people do.