Desperately seeking a quieter, greener mower

So, it’s early March. Somewhere between the end of winter and the arrival of spring. The weather, as we know all too well, can go either way. Yesterday was warm and sunny. Today? Well, the clouds are back and they’re talking about snow. One of the benefits of a day that is chilly and cloudy is that it induces you to stay inside. To nest a little longer. To plan for warmer days. And I’ve been doing a lot of planning. For starters, I’m designing a small studio to be carved out of the interior of my garage. It’s a chance to build greener rather than just inheriting a space already done. I do know I want a door that opens to let summer breezes in and a wide window looking out on my backyard. I want to see the roses bloom as they climb along the fence and watch my three little hens as they prowl for worms and insects. Thinking about that view leads to even more planning. I’m hoping for not just a greener summer, in every aspect of the word, but a quieter summer as well. Lawn care has gone high decibel. What used to be a quiet chore, broken only by the drone of the mower, can become so loud and obnoxious it makes one want to run and hide under the bed like the family dog. Leaf blowers, power washers, lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, sidewalk edgers and compression tools all roar into life early on a summer Saturday morning. Occasionally accompanied by a stereo cranked up loud and proud. In a densely populated urban area, like most residential neighborhoods, that means your backyard chores can ruin the fun of a neighbor. Or a neighbor’s work can ruin my fun. Fences may provide visual privacy, but noise carries. We’ve got some of those noisy tools in the garage. I’m not naive enough to think we won’t ever need them. But, for routine lawn care it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. So, I’m hoping to replace at least one. I’ve been looking around for an old-fashioned reel mower. A push mower. Powered only by elbow grease and a mighty shove. No engine. No emissions. No noise. They aren’t hard to find. Hardware and home improvement stores carry them each season. But, I’m looking for an even greener option. I want a used mower. One whose carbon footprint was made long ago and has seen enough service to forgive that debt. I walked into a thrift store not too long ago just in time to see a man wheeling a good-as-new reel mower out the door. I smiled at him as I walked by. “You got what I came for,” I said. He smiled in return. “This is for my son,” he said. “He doesn’t know it and he’s not going to like it, but he just got a new job.” I had to laugh. That father is tapping into the most renewable energy source there is. The mower may be quiet, but somewhere in town there’s a kid who’s going to be making some noise. Meanwhile, I’m still looking for quiet.