• about
  • blog
    • adventure
    • mother
    • garden
    • ritual
    • cook
    • podcasts
  • handcrafted / gift bundles
  • shop
  • CONTACT
  • about
  • blog
    • adventure
    • mother
    • garden
    • ritual
    • cook
    • podcasts
  • handcrafted / gift bundles
  • shop
  • CONTACT
17 years: welcome to the jungle
June 16, 2014

Our lawn mower wouldn’t start this spring. I waited until the grass was shin high to even try and, by then, every shop in town had a two week wait.

With this home, we inherited a neighborhood chore. We mow 1/3 of the public land out back. Mowing is my job. I love to mow. Andy is very allergic to flying particals of grass and weed. Our house came with a tractor but I prefer the push mower. I like the exercise, the hands-on, the rhythm. The tractor wouldn’t start either.

We turned to YouTube, as we do with things like this. Andy drained and replaced the gas and oil. No start. The next day he replaced the air filter. No start. That same day he took the whole thing apart and got groovy with every piece and place. No start. The grass was growing by the minute, I swear. He was fired up. Man vs. Lawn Mower.

He stopped only to go for a bike ride, at my urging. That adrenaline needed to go somewhere, I winked. When he got home, he stood in the driveway with his hands on hips and rounded shoulders. That day, he would accept defeat and have a gin beverage on the deck.

Sunday morning he was back at it. Alternating between YouTube videos. saying swears at the lawn mower and jumping on the trampoline with the kids. I had stopped suggesting we get on the wait list to take it in. He was committed.

I admire my husband’s steady determination. He really can do anything. Nothing is ever a mystery or too hard. He gets there. And when frustration sets in, my role is humor and making hearty, healthy snacks. He stays well-nourished and even when he doesn’t laugh I know he thinks I am funny.

It’s the spark plug, he announced as he took off for the hardware store again.

Our daughters were cheerfully invested by now. They knew it was a duel that had been going on for several days. They knew they wanted their dada to win. Their support came in hula hooping while singing Let It Go. Their support came in sidewalk chalk drawings around the sad mower and thousands of questions.

We were making bread in the kitchen when we heard the engine start up. I don’t think the sound of Santa’s sleigh bells could have beat the sound of that mower. Margot and Ruby tumbled off their stools and ran, shrieking and barefoot to the driveway, where Andy stood with one hand on the lawn mower and his modestly proud close-lipped grin. He believed in their enthusiasm and gave into a celebration of kid tosses in the tall grass. They know he hung the moon.

Andy announced he’d mow for a bit. He triumphantly pushed that beast through the waving green blades while sneezing and sneezing and smiling and sneezing.

I watched my man’s 36 year-old body walk behind the mower and had this moment of understanding time, of appreciating my time with him. Our daughters danced circles in his periphery. He moves just like he did when he was 11. Quiet, confident, long strides. He still has that thick, wild hair that barely fits under a hat. I am still charmed by the same things: his creativity, smarts, adventure, humility and kindness.

This day, 17 years ago, Andy and I had our first date. We went rock climbing in East Rosebud. We kissed by the creek and ate peanut butter and jelly on stale bagels. We sped home, around those sunny corners and over those green hills, trying to be on time returning his mom’s car to Red Lodge. We were late and newly in love. 

While Andy mowed, I grabbed my camera and army crawled in the grass taking pictures, bugs flying all around my head. Babe, he laughed. What are you doing?! What if a rock kicks out from the mower? But he knew I’d keep taking photos. Just like I knew he’d get that mower to work. We know. Through broken things and fixed things. I enjoy manicured landscape, but I like our unruly jungle even better.

 

Share

Uncategorized

16 Comments


Rachel @ 6512
June 16, 2014 at 12:33 PM

Love (and humor, snacks, perseverance) triumphs!
Bet you never could have imagined army-crawling through the hard won short grass, photographing this man at work 17 years ago. Love the continuing surprises of history.



trbholt
June 16, 2014 at 4:18 PM

This made me smile & cry….I love my son-in-law and I love how you love him too.



Ciara
June 16, 2014 at 11:37 PM

Such a touching story, told so beautifully.
I love your words.



jaymee
June 17, 2014 at 6:03 AM

LOVE this.



martha
June 17, 2014 at 10:27 PM

You guys are adorable! I really want to put “no-mow” grass in our backyard, a good friend is a landscape architect/mama and they planted it 5 or 6 years ago, it is really soft and lays over on itself, they mow it once or twice a summer. Our little baby chunk was in love with it – a fun, soft playspace.



    dig
    June 19, 2014 at 7:23 AM

    We had a section of Buffalo Grass at our last home and I loved it. I am so not a huge fan of grass, other than small spots to sit on. I feel like that is what grass is good for! I actually tried to let ours grow last year in the front and it looked great until….it overwintered and smothered out the new spring growth. I had to get out there with a rake and get up all the tangled brown grass. Then I didn’t love my previous season’s idea so much! 🙂 But I think it would work if I had weed wacked it in the fall. Maybe I’ll try again this year!

Sian (@SianyChick)
June 18, 2014 at 3:05 AM

This might be my favorite post of yours which is crazy because it’s about a lawnmower.

Well its about much more than that isn’t it?

Love it xxx



    dig
    June 19, 2014 at 7:21 AM

    Awe really? It was fun to write. 🙂

Joan
June 18, 2014 at 7:36 PM

I love how you perfectly captured the essence of my son. Wow 17 years. I’ve loved them all.



BRH
June 19, 2014 at 7:36 AM

Beyond amazing. You write so beautifully.



rhett
June 19, 2014 at 1:57 PM

I love this post and all the great photos.



Sage
June 20, 2014 at 11:38 AM

The depth of your perspective is a beautiful thing. I am right there with you on so much, feeling the same emotions, but in a very different place. I get it and soaking it up daily too. Summer is a blessing, and I try not to take it for granted even when life is moving at light speed. Thanks for sharing. Makes me want to come back for more. Oh and of course I wish we were neighbors, but I am sure you have heard that a million times. I still like saying it. xo



Jacqueline Barraza
June 24, 2014 at 2:58 PM

Lovely written. Loved reading it. Thank you.



Catherine
June 26, 2014 at 10:14 PM

Gosh, Nici. This post is really great. You captured our attention from the get-go.



Aly Ragan
June 29, 2014 at 6:51 AM

I love this. You are an excellent writer & story teller. We can all relate to these ‘simple’ things, but you put it into words so beautifully.



Amanda
July 4, 2014 at 6:01 AM

You truly are a great story teller. This post, and yor espresso machine post are some of my favourites for turning the most unexpected topics into something great. You should consider a book 😉



  • hello and welcome

    I’m Nici (pronounced like Nikki) and I live in western Montana where I raise kids, vegetables and the roof.

  • Join Me Here

  • shop Dig + Co

  • heirloom kitchen

    • Heirloom Kitchen 04 > Make Tortillas
      January 31, 2017
    • heirloom kitchen 03 > clean yo sink
      June 6, 2014
    • heirloom kitchen 02 > oatmeal
      May 5, 2014
    • heirloom kitchen 01 > make soup
      April 1, 2014

  • hump day nuggets

    • nuggets: put together/not put together
      May 18, 2017
    • nuggets: holiday
      January 3, 2017
    • hump day nuggets: your heart beating in your whole...
      September 7, 2016
    • nuggets: moonshadow
      April 26, 2016
    • nuggets: finally it's the first day of spring!
      April 5, 2016
    • hump day nuggets: ritual
      October 14, 2015
    • hump day nuggets: full-on(ly)
      July 8, 2015
    • putzing: deck nuggets
      June 1, 2015

  • montana

    • Into the Great Wide Open
      August 18, 2016
    • The Tree of Generations
      July 31, 2016
    • Somewhere between Elsa and Katy Perry
      August 12, 2014
    • There's Nothing To Be Afraid Of Sister
      July 31, 2014
    • ajeeb
      January 22, 2014

  • Archives



  • BLOG CATEGORIES

    Adventure

    Mother

    Garden

    Ritual

    Cook

    Podcasts


dig this chick copyright 2020 / all rights reserved / you may not take any images or content from this site without written permission