Birthday Boy

 It was the birthday of HeWho I love. We spent the entire day spending his (mine, too) money. We both had a great day!!

After finding out that a "meadow" of about a quarter acre belonged to us. Intriguing as this might seem ... it is the leach field for the septic system. It will need to be mowed to keep trees from growing and sending their roots out to damage stuff. I lost interest as soon as I heard the word septic. I don't do septic. I can't grow anything here, and it is a steep hollow. I will NOT be mowing this area.

Despite my disinterest, HeWho regaled me the workings of the septic system and lift systems that get the contents of our septic tank to its final destination, hence the leach field. Since it was his birthday, I thought it would be rude to turn the radio up and not listen. He only has one birthday a year, after all. But, as soon as opportunity presented itself, I did change the subject. 

He misses mowing. He likes to mow. So do I, as a matter of fact. I like to push the mower and get a walk in when I mow. He prefers riding. Not a walker, the birthday boy. Off we went to Home Depot. My idea was to price mowers, then compare all the features and such, then purchase one. I realize this can be done online. HeWho was prepared, he had done his homework. I had not.

There sat the riders and the pushers in a row, sparkling in the sunshine, just waiting to suck us in. His birthday present was to be a riding mower. He gravitated to the big zero-turns and he gazed longingly at them and the hefty price tags. I was shaking my head no the entire time. We have no need for one. The area is just not big enough to justify the purchase. My only concern was the horsepower being enough for the steep driveway. 

I looked, I saw and I relayed a price to consider as I inched my way to the garden center that was beckoning me that way. I was disappointed with the withered perennials displayed (I very seldom buy annuals) and headed back to find that he had settled on the one he wanted.

And that is when I saw it. The cutest little mower ever! "But it only has a 16" deck." said HeWho. It is too small. I argued that I wanted a small one to get into tight areas. I reminded him that when I was done planting, there really wouldn't be that much to mow. Then he told me it was not self-propelled and that caused me some concern, but then I realized I was not going to be pushing the nine miles of prep mowing I was used to doing. The mower is electric. Ryobi. Gas prices make this a sensible buy. We went inside to look at more. They had a 13" deck and I wanted it!

We were arguing pleasantly about the virtues of deck sizes and battery life when a young man approached us to help. He had a Ryobi emblem on his shirt, and he knew his stuff. He partnered with HeWho and deftly talked me out of the 13" that I really wanted and I got the 16" that first caught my eye. The 16" came with not one, but TWO batteries for only $30 more than the 13" with only one battery. This lead to the Ryobi blowers and the batteries are interchangeable! The young man liked the phrase "and the beautiful part of this is". He was so cute, this mere boy who sold us up-graded machines! 

We left with a Cub rider and Ryobi 16" pusher and a blower. The rider will be delivered free on Monday. We stuffed the other two machines in the car and were headed to Walmart, as we were out of dog treats. We needed to fill our 5 gallon water bottles, as well. 

HeWho was hungry and we stopped at Burger King, simply because it was there. I like the original chicken sandwich, so I was okay. It wasn't my birthday. They had a deal of 2 for $10 and I wandered around while HeWho ordered our food. It was awful! the floor was sticky, and the place smelled of sour mop water. I went into secret shopper mode and gave the dining room a once over. None of the tables looked clean. Trashcans were overflowing and the area around the drink dispensers was particularly bad. The employees were busy chatting among themselves and one man had a long neon orange ponytail loose with no net. He tended to sling his head and swish it around. The counter where you place your order had boxes of supplies stacked on it.

I was impressed! Not in a good way and have since sent my findings to the corporate office. I used to be a secret shopper. I loved it. They would send an assignment and give you the option of accepting or denying it. We lived in Minnesota then and some assignments were far reaching, but I turned down very few. It paid well. One was a restaurant that included a 14 page report to fill out. It paid mileage and a flat fee, plus a $75 food allowance to eat. Back in the nineties that was healthy amount of money for a meal for two. That became our favorite restaurant. Kincaid's Chop House. Never had a meal I didn't truly enjoy there. Their crab cakes and salmon were to die for. But I digress. Just saying I knew what to look for. I included the statement that I was afraid to enter the restroom after viewing the dining room. The most memorable event was when ponytail ended his shift and pulled his uniform shirt off behind the counter ...

The trip to Walmart was uneventful, got what we needed and came home, dog treats in hand. The canines greeted us, I put the groceries away and then took the birthday boy out to eat again!