Mower Guy (MG) has come & gone - Clyde is ready to roll and all sparkly clean :-) The “clean” part will disappear after the first mowing. MG showed me the old blades ... I think all they were doing by the end of last season was weed “whipping” rather than weed “cutting”.
MG is transitioning to catering events - lots of smoked specialty items - he gave me his card & I shared it on FB. I would really like to try his smoked made-from-scratch mac & cheese .... if I ever run into him selling food, I might splurge & try one bite.
By next year, I don’t think I’m going to have a MG as his food truck/catering is really picking up. Looking at what he does on the mower, I could do all of it with the exception of changing out the blades. I have talked to my brother about splitting the cost of a ‘lift’ (about $150 for what we need) so he can SAFELY do his blades without the mower dropping on him ... and maybe my blades too, or I can keep weight lifting (bicep building!) & likely do my own. It’s nice having MG do everything, but I’ve done gas & oil filters before ... can add oil & I know where the lube points are. I can get blades/filters/parts from the local dealer.
More & more, I’m doing things myself ... not only is it waaaay cheaper, you get it done on your own time (instead of laptop or mower being at the shop for a month or more), and the satisfaction of “doing it yourself” is hard to beat. I have 3 plumbing jobs lined up - 2 leaky faucet handles & a clogged drain requiring the stopper be removed from the sink & likely a drain trap clean out. I’ve already saved at least $300-400 fixing simple plumbing stuff myself in the past. It’s $99 just for the service call to get them to come out.
MG makes about $1,500/day when he has a full mower schedule. He doesn’t work if it’s raining, snowing, ice, etc. It’s a great little self-employed business for those with a strong work ethic ... he hustles. He’s also scrupulously honest - great reputation. I’m going to miss MG if he’s not around to fix the generator or service the mower any more next year.
Good article I found on Succession* Planting. I plan on doing more of this, this coming season. Why? More fresh food over a longer period of time. It just takes a little organization.
Succession Planting: How to Grow Crops for a Continual Harvest
https://gardenerspath.com/how-to/hacks/succession-planting/#Succession-Planting-Reference-Chart
*Not to be confused withe ‘Seceding from the Union’ which is also on my mind a lot these days. *SMIRK*