Grass always grows highest over the septic tank

Photo by BobbaLew.

So begins the mowing season.
A six-month chase to stay ahead of our prolific lawn.
I had to mow the front-part Sunday, April 11, 2010; our first mowing.
Our grass was growing, especially over our septic, where grass always grows first.
Proving yet again Erma Bombeck's assertion that grass always grows highest over the septic tank.
We're mowing about two acres, divided into four segments; our front yard, the north and south wings, and our back yard, otherwise known as the “Back 40.”
Last year I was having to mow this all every week. Although I could usually do two segments at a time.
The Back 40 is the largest, probably almost two hours.
We weren't mowing it at first, just a tiny fenced part for our dog(s). But I found I could mow it.
We have a number of tools to do this, primarily our Husqvarna (“husk-VAR-nuh;” a “Husky”) zero-turn mower pictured above.
It's 18 horsepower, 48-inch cut; a residential zero-turn, as opposed to a commercial.
A zero-turn has two separate drives to each rear tire, which means you can turn it on a dime.
It cuts the time mowing lawn compared to a lawn-tractor in half, primarily because you can spin it after each mowing pass, instead of setting up for the next pass.
It also lets you trim tightly around shrubs without backing.
We also have two small walk-behind power mowers; a Honda, a mulcher, and the second a very light mower inherited from our neighbor when he died.
My wife still mows the fenced back yard with a walk-behind, but the mulcher is heavy, and the lighter mower likes to throw things.
I have mowed it with the zero-turn, but it's abusive.
We also have a 38-inch John Deere riding-mower we bought 15 years ago, but it's semi-retired. I used to mow with that; it still runs fine, so may get sold.
I use it as a brush-hog for paths — plus my wife is intimidated by that zero-turn.
Our Husky is doomed.
It will get traded for a Country Clipper zero-turn from Leif's, where I bought the Husky four years ago.
The Husky was probably assembled by a Friday crew. It has driven us nuts.
Leif's too. They've had to perform a mountain of warranty work on it.
Various things tanked on it, but all I can remember is the drive-pulley coming loose on the right-side drive-unit, chewing things up, and Leif's having to replace the entire drive-unit.
This was at least three years out from purchase, but Leif's replaced it no charge.
Last summer it decided to no longer charge the battery.
The engine has magneto ignition, so it will run independent of the battery, but the cutting drive is electric clutch, which draws down the battery, and the charging system, if it worked.
All the battery was for was starting the engine, electric-start.
Mow the Back 40 with it and that electric clutch would slowly draw down the battery so if it stalled, it wouldn't crank.
So the plan was to have Leif's fix the charging system, but my wife suggested maybe we should trade.
The Country Clipper is a tank; my Husky compared to it is junk.
I was impressed with the Husky, but more because it was a zero-turn.
Us old folks keeping up with that lawn was doable with a zero-turn.
Nevertheless, my wife suggested perhaps we should farm out the lawn-mowing.
Well, it is a monster, but I like mowing lawn with that zero-turn.
It's fun.

• “We” is me and my wife of 42+ years, “Linda.”
• “Leif's” is “Leif's Sales & Service,” a small-engine repair and sales outlet about two miles from our house. They also sell Lionel model-train equipment.
• “Magneto ignition” generates the spark without battery input.
• “Electric clutch” is the same as the clutch that engages automotive air-conditioning. Energized, an input plate become a magnet, and thereby engages the output plate. (Or the output plate is magnetized, and engages the input plate. —Sometimes both plates are magnetized.)
• RE: “Us old folks......” —We're both 66.