The Zen of Lawn Mowing

A horse-owning friend of mine once said that there are only about a dozen days a year in Delaware when conditions are ideal for riding a horse. Most days it is either too cold or too hot or the ground is too hard or too soft or the horse is shedding or the flies are biting or the footing is bad, etc. Anyway I am sure you get the idea. Right now we seem to be in the middle of the “too cold” phase and after living here for over 40 years I think maybe there are more than a dozen days but I can say without reservation that there has never been a perfect day in January! Right now I am desperate for even a hint of spring, a warm breeze or a few daffodils would do nicely
Spring might be my favorite season at the horse rescue. Situated along the Sassafras River near Warwick, Maryland Greener Pastures has an ideal location for experiencing a range of wildlife. The property is rimmed with a fringe of undisturbed hardwood forest, providing nesting places for birds and plenty of cover for the animals. In the spring, the sanctuary hosts a great blue heron rookery along the river. Building large stick nests high in the trees along the river, the herons may be the rescue’s noisiest seasonal visitors, calling to one another and defending their nest with loud, raspy croaking. It is a primitive and scary call. The rescue’s nesting pair of bald eagles is also much in evidence in the spring, hustling to find food for their growing chicks. Red tailed hawks and turkey buzzards can be seen soaring over the trees and fields. There is a resident herd of deer in the area and a number of small to medium sized animals, including fox, raccoon, rabbits, possum and groundhogs can be found in the area.
But the very best thing about the coming of spring is the greening of our horse pastures and hay fields with the new growth. The horses revel in the appearance of the sweet, tender shoots. It must be like candy for them because when the grass starts coming in, many of the horses will forgo coming into the paddocks for their twice daily grain, preferring instead to continue to grazing on the new grass. It is also brings a sweet treat for me because with spring, come mowing season.
There is something about spending hours driving a lawn tractor that appeals to me. I’m not exactly sure what causes me to enjoy it so much. It could be the smell of fresh mown grass, or the sports car like maneuverability of the zero turn tractor platform or the wind on my face or the joy of singing at the top of my lungs knowing that the noise of the tractor will drown out my voice and one will be offended by my off key renditions of pop tunes. What I do know with utter certainty is that spending time on the lawn tractor provides me with an opportunity for contemplation that can be meditative in nature, creating a sense of peace and tranquility that is hard to find in today’s hectic environment.
Once the grass starts to grow, mowing the horse pastures is a task that will continue to mid-summer. The rescue has approximately 60 acres in horse pasture which requires mowing every two to three weeks in order to minimize weed growth and help maintain even grazing across the pasture. Keeping the grass from getting too deep also helps to manage ticks and poison ivy. So the work of mowing becomes a spring priority with each pasture taking from four to six hours to complete.
Driving the zero-turn mower in the horse pasture is not a mindless activity and requires constant attention to detail. The pasture ground is not flat and the area along the fence lines can be littered with fallen branches which could, if run over, damage the mower blades. But driving the tractor is a peaceful activity and provides ample opportunity for observing the nature in an up close and personal way. When the grass is long enough, it can conceal a remarkable variety of wildlife so staying alert to unnatural undulations in the grass is paramount to spotting and avoiding unprotected birds and animals.
Driving the tractor I have scared up snakes, turtles, small birds, groundhogs and possums. One afternoon, I spotted a fox, moving two kits out of the field. Another afternoon, I spotted a doe acting strangely. Usually the sound of the tractor will cause deer to sprint across the fields and leap out over the fences, but this doe would run a short distance, stop to look back toward the noise, then change direction and run another short distance. After she had made a complete rectangle, she ended up back where I had first seen her. The grass was quite deep so I stopped the tractor and walked slowly toward where she was standing, when I got close enough, I could see a tiny faun curled up in the grass at her feet. My approach caused the deer to bound away, but the faun never moved, lying statue-like where its mother had placed it for safety.
I always cut in a circular pattern, moving counter clockwise around the field, starting close to the fence and moving inward with each circuit. This allows the mower to throw the cut grass away from the mowing path. The horses are generally unperturbed by the presence or noise of the mower and in fact, exhibit quite a bit of curiosity when the mower is stopped, surrounding and sniffing it . At times, I’ve had to get off the mower to chase them away before starting off again.
But the best thing about mowing the fields is the opportunity for contemplation. Riding atop the mower, every sense engaged and alive, is the perfect place to consider how very lucky I am at 62 to be living out my childhood dream of working with horses. If enlightenment can be achieved through the use of meditation, self-contemplation and intuition, then surely, mowing the pastures is my road to self-awareness.