[speaker001:] hi Carol
[speaker002:] hi Frank
[speaker001:] how do you feel about uh lawn and garden work
[speaker002:] uh well to tell you the truth my husband does most of the work yeah I feel real good about it
[speaker001:] so you feel good about it what kind of a system does he have does he have a power mower or a riding mower
[speaker002:] yeah no he has a um you know um a push mower I mean it's electric of course um I I think it's not very old about um not that old three or four years old maybe and uh he he really enjoys it so
[speaker001:] so you let him enjoy it
[speaker002:] yeah that's fine
[speaker001:] you don't feel you don't feel guilty about it
[speaker002:] no well last uh no I do enough other things I don't feel guilty about that last year this is I'm almost ashamed to admit it but last year for the very first time I did mow the grass my first time in my whole life
[speaker001:] oh
[speaker002:] and uh that wasn't too bad I it was good exercise
[speaker001:] it's a it's a push mower though
[speaker002:] well you know it's electric of course I mean it's a power a power mower it it's it's pretty powerful oh yeah
[speaker001:] yeah but it's it's power power but you have to push it I've uh I've got to admit that the last two lawn mowers that I've gotten um were uh power driven
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] they're they're uh you know they're gasoline and they have a mechanical contraption on it you pull the handle and it pulls the lawn mower for you um it takes me about an hour to do to to do my lawn
[speaker002:] that's about the same for ours
[speaker001:] and uh well if you if you got got him a power mower it'd probably take him a lot less time to do it but I enjoy doing it I feel good doing it uh I I feel a lot better doing it with a power mower with that with a with a pull tractor on it so I don't have to push so hard
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] but uh I enjoy going and cutting the grass I like the way it looks and uh I also have other other garden equipment like uh weed whacker or the trimmer to go around all of the the uh fence and everything
[speaker002:] oh yeah uh-huh
[speaker001:] does he have those as well
[speaker002:] oh yes um let's see we've got a weed whacker we have an uh edger you know that goes between the grass and the sidewalk
[speaker001:] oh this this comes with the blade on it you mean uh-huh
[speaker002:] um right um
[speaker001:] is that a power mower or is that a power edger or is it a
[speaker002:] that one is electric so he's got to plug that in and drag the cord around
[speaker001:] oh
[speaker002:] and let's see um hedge clippers you know electric of course hedge hedge clippers
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] um I think that's all of the power tools we have we um but that's that's I think that's about all they make
[speaker001:] how often does he do it
[speaker002:] oh once a week um actually though um we just moved
[speaker001:] all right
[speaker002:] to uh Texas a year and a half ago
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and they have a new uh system that they're trying to promote here which is uh they don't bag it as they call it um
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] essentially you know cutting it um probably more like every four or five days and so it's still short enough so that you can mulch it back into the grass and never bag it for one thing um cuts down on waste for landfills and all of that
[speaker001:] uh-huh so so the state is encouraging you to do that
[speaker002:] um it's actually through the County Extension Service
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and they put out all kinds of information on it and then they put up uh they had a few lawns in the area that were like uh samples and they put a big sign in their yard that said you know this is a don't bag it lawn and let you watch and see how they did it so their grass clippings were never bagged they just mulch back into the grass itself and acted as a fertilizer
[speaker001:] do they do something to the lawn mower to to help it uh stay inside or they
[speaker002:] yeah as a matter of fact and our lawn mower does that too it's you you shut off the where the bag would go or where it would you know spray out the side
[speaker001:] uh-huh yeah
[speaker002:] so that it just mulches underneath it just goes back down um right underneath the blade
[speaker001:] but they don't they they they have special munching mulching uh mowers but that's not one of them
[speaker002:] right no that's no that's not it's not necessary to have that nope
[speaker001:] it is not oh I always thought that it was
[speaker002:] but you you you have to but you're you're right though in that you do have to cut it though when it's um relatively short you can't let it go a week or two because if the clippings are that long then they'll just lay on top
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] they have to be short enough that they'll still fall back down um into the grass
[speaker001:] oh that's interesting maybe there's something I can try this time around
[speaker002:] it takes takes him a lot less time because even though he does have to do it every four or five days um since he doesn't have to bag all of those clippings you know it rather than taking I don't know as an example an hour and a half to do the whole lawn it only takes an hour
[speaker001:] huh
[speaker002:] so you know plus less bags less waste
[speaker001:] does he have the lawn treated
[speaker002:] um we tried that but we really weren't happy with it so he does that all himself now
[speaker001:] oh well I um I tried it about ten years ago and I've been doing it ever since I've been having it treated
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] and it makes it grow much faster uh our season though in New England uh is is only three months or so and then it starts getting cold again in September
[speaker002:] oh that's true
[speaker001:] so we don't have um I guess out in Dallas you must have a a longer season
[speaker002:] oh gee I'd I'd say our grass is getting green right now so I'm sure he'll in fact he may have already cut it once I can't remember
[speaker001:] no kidding no kidding
[speaker002:] um but it'll be yeah we'll have to start cutting real soon
[speaker001:] wow
[speaker002:] and uh then oh well in on into October November I'm sure
[speaker001:] oh we I I don't go that uh that deep it starts getting cold when as soon as the cold weather comes it stunts the growth of the uh the grass
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] I know in the summer time I've got to uh I've got to hold actually hold it as long as I can uh as long as I can make the grass I can't cut it I think it's the recommended three three and a half inches they want me to leave it so I can cut it
[speaker002:] let it get that long wow
[speaker001:] well in the summer time so that the heat doesn't uh burn the grass
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] and they recommend that I keep the blade very high s o because it's that high I have to do it frequently as well I try to do it every uh uh six or seven days if
[speaker002:] what kind of grass do you have
[speaker001:] um I really I've got a mixture I guess
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] it's all different kinds but if I let it grow too long if I let it go like a week and a half two weeks then it starts seeding on me
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] and that's it gets too long and then it uh starts bunching up underneath the lawn mower and I can't get it out and and it's uh it it turns out to be a real mess so I've got to do it uh uh no later than once a week
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] and I uh I don't block off my my uh chute but I don't pick up my grass either I leave it on the lawn and uh I try to go over it again I do pick up or I rake up uh
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] you know the clumps that uh that occur but I try to leave it down there
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] I did pick up uh a lawn sweeper
[speaker002:] oh really we don't have one of those
[speaker001:] yeah that's kind of that's kind of like uh the old-fashioned carpet sweeper only it's it's wide and you put it on your grass and what it does is it sweeps the lawn and it only picks up
[speaker002:] uh-huh oh
[speaker001:] you know the height that you you set it at so I set it very high and it just picks or it skims the grass it doesn't dig way down deep so I don't have a lot of grass that I uh that I collect
[speaker002:] does it work for leaves
[speaker001:] oh yeah works very good with leaves because leaves typically if you pick them up right away uh they'll sit on top of the grass
[speaker002:] oh right
[speaker001:] and uh I'm trying to find a way how to uh electrify it or motorize it because of this I have to push but it uh it's it's wide enough to pick up uh like the width two widths of a lawn mower
[speaker002:] oh well
[speaker001:] so you can do it relatively quickly
[speaker002:] oh yeah well that's sounds interesting we uh we don't well I don't know if we do that very much I think I remember my mom had one of those
[speaker001:] I I try to take the the clippings and uh
[speaker002:] I don't know
[speaker001:] put them in a mulching not a mulching but uh to let them decompose
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] I think that is mulching uh what do they call that
[speaker002:] a compost pile right
[speaker001:] compost pile I haven't been very successful I'm on my third year now and I still have a a pile in the back yard and it it doesn't decompose I guess I got
[speaker002:] it's not composting
[speaker001:] you supposed to put chemicals on it
[speaker002:] I don't think so no I think it's supposed to be natural
[speaker001:] no  it's it's not working
[speaker002:] oh well
[speaker001:] it's getting it's shrinking down it's getting small but it uh it's still grass it's it's dried up grass and it it just stays there it doesn't turn into dirt
[speaker002:] I think you're supposed to turn it every once in a while
[speaker001:] what air it out
[speaker002:] well I think it it on the inside is where it the chemicals you know it starts to break down
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and I think if you're supposed to turn it
[speaker001:] huh
[speaker002:] I mean not not very often but you know go in and and stir it up so to speak to get the
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] stuff on the outside in to the inside
[speaker001:] I'm going to have to try and do that
[speaker002:] it might help I don't know
[speaker001:] maybe it'll work
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] uh the other thing I was thinking of doing is getting some chemicals to try and help the process up uh a little more a little faster
[speaker002:] I don't know I I I think the idea is supposed to be natural so that you know there's no
[speaker001:] chemicals no chemicals in it
[speaker002:] no chemicals and plus then you can use it as a fertilizer and not have to worry about spreading those chemicals like on your lawn or your bushes or whatever
[speaker001:] yeah I um I'm seriously thinking of discontinuing the chemical service because of the uh um I guess what I didn't realize was that that they're actually putting poisons on my grass
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and it wasn't until uh a year or two ago where the state required anyone putting chemicals on lawns that they tell the the customers what they're actually putting on the lawn and what the uh the hazards are and uh my children are all grown up now but when they were younger I was fertilizing my grass and didn't realize that some of the the chemicals that are on the grass that are being put on by the chemical companies um stay there longer than than than a few hours
[speaker002:] and they're playing on they were playing on it
[speaker001:] and yeah and my uh dog was out there playing in the grass and they were playing in the grass so I don't what long term effects that they uh the chemicals
[speaker002:] sure
[speaker001:] had on the grass but that's bothered me to the point where I'm thinking thinking about discontinuing it this year
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] and try to get more uh