There is a new Dollar General (DG) store on the other side of town called DG Market. It was an adventure driving there in traffic for the first time. It's just a larger DG with more groceries, including fresh meat and produce. Bananas even cheaper—only 39¢/lb. Slightly smaller than normal ones, but very sweet. Reminded me of the bananas in India. Next door is a Thrift Store. Picked up a nice dish for a birdbath for the little birds for $2. This is heavy glass only 1" deep. The jar lid is only big enough for the chickadees. Birds aren't as stubborn as cats. If you put out something for them, they always check it out and often accept it. It's a refreshing change. We'll see. At the checkout counter inside a glass case, was a large water basin and pitcher. Maybe 18" tall and across the basin. It was $20 and I almost bought it. Not delicate and ornate, but sturdy looking. Not enough design on it to look gawdy, but not too plain either. It had some spots on the porcelain. Just enough to make it look old. Vintage, but not antique. Years ago I hunted all over town for one of those, but could only find a small one, about a foot tall. I may venture back during spring break next week when the traffic dies down. If it's still there and wasn't made in China, I think I'll get it. Maybe take the little one and donate it at the same time. But I like it too.
The Dawn Redwood, such an interesting story for those who have not read about it. I visited Longwood Gardens to see their specimen trees, huge, already. They grow very fast under the right conditions. They are one of the few deciduous conifers that lose their needles in the winter, after turning a unique and distinctive ochre kind of color. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metasequoia_glyptostroboides
Thomas, there is a Dawn Redwood on the UGA campus here somewhere. I believe this is it below. I assumed it was a cypress or cedar tree. The first winter I noticed it turn brownish orange, I assumed it had died. This was taken in October. The campus has a lot of unusual trees.
That looks right. Out in the open, they have a very regular shape like that. It’s amazing how big some of them are given that seeds didn’t even start getting distributed until the 1950s.
Bird mating season has started here already... High temperatures averaging in the 70s the previous 4 days. Birds chirping all over. Looks like there may be a taker for the new chickadee house. One went in and out a couple of times Sunday around 10 am. So I watched for about 20 minutes around 10 am both Monday and Tuesday. In and out the whole time. Whatever they were carrying must have been too small to see from a distance. I should have emptied the vacuum cleaner. The only thing cuter than a Carolina chickadee perched in the opening of a birdhouse, is a Carolina chickadee doing just about anything else. I've already started worrying about them. A brown-headed nuthatch entered the birdhouse and the chickadee chased it out. Nuthatches are just slightly smaller. Next year I'll have to put up a nuthatch house. And what about the poor little tufted titmice? No recent activity in the bluebird house yet, but the pair is still hanging around. I think something else would have claimed their house by now if they had changed their minds. But what do I know.
I was just about to call GC and ask him if he could recommend someone to mow the lawn in town this summer. Already planning on how to keep them from bumping into the birdhouses. .. Then.... ... What about electric ! I may be wrong, but I think the EGO self-propelled mower has no belts! Parts Diagram: 1 = motor 18 = transmission assembly 19 = rear axle assembly LARGER DIAGRAM Am I wrong ??? I've been reading reviews and specs all evening. The only worrisome reviews are when the thing quits working the first month. They have 18 of them in stock at Lowes. It only weighs 68 lbs. I can even unload it myself. No more slipping belts when the grass is wet with dew ?..
That diagram sure looks like direct-drive, and the reviews say there is no belt for the self-propel function. Walmart sells these as well, and there are several models on both sites with 10,000+ reviews that are 4 1/2 stars & higher. But I do the same thing...a number of negative reviews always makes me hesitant. I've never known anyone with a battery-operated mower, but this brings back memories of the old electric push mower we had when I was a kid.
We’ve had a 36 volt, 19 inch (IIRC) Black and Decker electric mulching mower for about 10 years I think. I originally got it because I didn’t like exhaust fumes from the gas one. We have a smallish yard, about 4,000 sq. ft., and it’s been great for that. I also use it to mulch leaves in the yard in the fall. The only issue is that I forgot to leave it connected to the charger one winter in an unheated garage and it killed the battery. Ordered a replacement and it’s been fine since. Otherwise great.
I didn't know electric mowers had been around that long. If the heat this summer is anything like last, I just can't mow most of the time. Dew in the morning, heat in the afternoon, rain otherwise. By the way, this thing has headlights. It's quiet enough I could mow at night. The way I figure it, if it lasts only one season, it will be cheaper than hiring someone. Plus I need the aerobic type exercise, badly. Kills two birds with one stone. Very few of the things people complain about will matter to me. I never mow the whole back yard at once anyway because it doesn't grow as fast in the lower half. So battery life isn't a problem. The cinch bugs did such a job on the back lawn last summer, there isn't much to mow except weeds between dead sod. So bogging down won't be a problem except maybe in the front yard. I can still use the Honda on the front yard. The dew dries off quickly there. Those reviews are a riot sometimes. Some have pictures. One guy complains that it leaves lines in the grass. Another guy has a picture of his grass with lines, and he thinks it's beautiful. One guy complains it leaves a ridge of uncut grass on the edges. Then a woman points out that the cutting blade doesn't extend beyond the tires, like the gas rotaries do, so you have to get used to overlapping more. I'm not that picky. I think I'm going to try one.
The one I have is self propelled, first like that I’ve had. I got that option solely because I wanted to use it when I was bent over under tree branches trying to turn it around and start mowing the other direction. My back is a problem and it’s nice just to hit the forward lever for a second or two to let me get straightened up again. Otherwise I don’t use that feature, need whatever walking I can get.
I now have an EGO electric mower! After a self-propelled (Honda), it's not a completely new experience. The Honda always starts on 1 or 2 pulls. This one requires one push of a button. Besides the drive belt slipping, there are 3 things that make the Honda almost as much work to mow with as a manual push mower. 1. clogging up and stopping in thick grass 2. very difficult to pull backwards 3. hard to turn 180 degrees So far #1 It cuts what's out there now great, no stragglers. But the first real test won't come until the juicy clover-like weeds come out. Then in June when the St. Augustine is growing fast. #2 The wheels move manually just as easy in reverse as forward and it's much lighter. #3 (same as #2) According to Google Maps, the back yard is 6000 sq.ft. The front and side yards combined are 2800 sq.ft. It took 2 bars out of 5 on a 10 ah battery to mow slightly over half of both the front and back yards. Self-propelled engaged full time. It will take more with heavier grass. I suspect I'll run out of juice before the battery does in summer heat. You don't have to lift the mower to raise the cutting height. It just pops up by itself. It climbed up the steep path from the back to the front yard (30 degree slope) with no problems. The Honda would never do that. The one downside I think may be hitting things with the blade. It doesn't handle hitting fire ant hills well. The blades just stopped on one. Can't be good for the motor. I try to shovel the tall hills down before mowing. By the way, if you do that, it leaves a sink hole after a few rains. I probably have the most bumpy back lawn in town. Technology is pushing the red dot farther out.
That's good news! I doubt that a hard stop will harm the motor unless it just sits there and hums, but I'm sure it turns itself off or the blades just slip. So are you considering buying a second battery?
No way! The battery cost more than the rest of the mower without the battery. I am thinking about the EGO chain saw. Uses the same battery. I wouldn't need it for heavy cutting. Just small trees and big limbs.
I've though of getting one of those myself. I have a gas powered saw, but there are some places I'd like to do some trimming where I don't feel like hauling the thing (or maybe the battery is as heavy as a motor.) I'd like to hear how it works for you if you get one.
Yes, weight would be a factor. The 10 ah (amp hr) battery on the mower weighs 7.4 pounds. More than my little gas trim saw. Maybe if it's balanced well. My problem is getting the gas one started. It's temperamental.