No Shoes, No Lawn Mowing

I originally wrote this on July 8, 2008. After working out in the yard this evening, I realized it’s a good idea to bump it to the top.

I don’t have a large yard, but I still don’t like mowing the grass. So, I got the great idea to have my 10-year-old son mow the lawn. It’s been a few weeks since he’s done the lawn, and I was thinking about having him do it today. Until, that is, I read Asa Aaron’s article last summer: No Shoes, No Mower: The Safe Consumer’s Guide to Lawn Mowing.

I learned a few good tips from his article. In fact, I’ve been lazy about mowing the lawn in flip-flops or sandals. But, no more. From now on I’ll be mowing the lawn in shoes. Here are a few more tips from Asa’s article:

* If you feel like having a beer, don’t mow the grass.
* Wear proper shoes. That does not include sandals, flip-flops or any fancy footwear.
* Don’t think you’re too smart for safety devices, such as blade guards. They were invented because someone got hurt, so it’s counterproductive to disable them.
* The minute you free a jammed blade, it could start to spin. So remove the spark plug or unplug an electric mower before you try to free a jammed blade.
* Be cautious on hills and slopes. Mow across with a push mower; mow up and down with a riding mower.
* Recent rain is an excuse to stay on the porch. Do not cut wet grass.
* If your child is too young to drive your car, then he’s too young to drive your ride-on mower. Kids should be 16 to handle a ride-on mower, and at least 12 to run a walk-behind power mower.

Read the rest of Asa’s good article here.

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