The saying goes (in your best hilly-billy voice), “I cain’t read nor write, but I can drive a tractor”.
We hadn’t been in our new place a week before FM started hinting that we will need a tractor. During our daily (!) visits to the Home Depot , he would wander in the rider-mower aisles, reading feature sheets, comparing prices and questioning the sales staff. I was surprised at the suggestion, not knowing how such a gas-guzzling machine would have a part in our back-to-nature lifestyle. In hindsight, I’m pretty sure that he had decided long ago that a tractor would be a key part of the Queendom. I made quiet protests, pouted a bit (not really!) and made him justify his argument on a few occasions. I pointed out that we aimed to only have a little buffer of grass close to the house – something easily handled with the push-mower which has served us so well on our city lot. Our plans here are to re-landscape 3 of the 5 acres, letting it grow back into the forest that it used to be. So what purpose would a rider-mower serve?
Wouldn’t you know it but the Home Depot was having a massive sale on big equipment as part of their Spring Fling. The timing of this sale somehow co-ordinated with our move. Next thing I know, we are the proud owners of a John Deere D170 rider mower.
The much-debated rider-mower tractor arrives at the Queendom
“It has a cup-holder!!”
Little did I know that it can do so much more than cut grass. With the lawn blade removed, we are able to get just about anywhere on these 5 acres. With the trailer attached, we have been able to saw up the fallen trees and haul the log rounds back to the outbuildings. It really did not take long for me to realize that this funny little machine will save our backs and hours of time.
along a rural path 