XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: psperson1@ix.netcom.invalid   
      
   On Thu, 4 Jun 2020 19:53:49 -0400, Bill O'Meally   
    wrote:   
      
   >On 2020-06-04 23:37:18 +0000, Stan Brown said:   
   >   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >> That wouldn't have been nearly as dramatic! JRRT did like to play the   
   >> martyr on occasion, or maybe it's nearer the truth to say that he   
   >> sometimes exaggerated real misfortunes so that they seemed worse than   
   >> they were. IDHTBIFOM, but for example I think he talked about his   
   >> mother having been "persecuted" by the rest of the family, after his   
   >> father's death, because she stayed Roman Catholic.   
   >>   
   >> This is not of the same order, of course, but I could see him   
   >> claiming four lawns for "poetical exaggeration".   
   >   
   >And you can bet he used a (non-motorized) push mower!  Can you imagine   
   >his dismay in his suburban existence at the noise of lawn equipment and   
   >their 'infernal combustion engines'? :-)   
      
   Sadly, he lived before the advent -- or, at least, the wide   
   availability -- of electric mowers.   
      
   I'm on my second (books are not the only things I am rough on). For   
   those unfamiliar with the concept, the type I have:   
      
   1) Requires a hefty (and long) extension cord. And a GFCI, for safety.   
   2) Does not move the mower -- it is a push mower -- but does rotate   
   the blade, which makes it much easier to use than a manual.   
      
   Since they are electric, using them in the rain is /not/ encouraged.   
   Indeed, using them when the lawn is wet is not encouraged. And, if any   
   children show up, instructions are to shut down until their parents   
   have taken them away -- apparently, they have a tendency to dart in   
   suddenly to see how it works, leading to lost fingers. This, of   
   course, is a Bad Thing.   
      
   Other varieties include:   
   1) Battery-powered. This is a rechargeable battery, of course.   
   2) Riding mower. This is also battery-powered, and (AFAIK) it actually   
   /does/ move itself.   
      
   Reviews of these things point out some problems:   
   1) For a corded mower: "that d*mned" cord. I am on my third; I managed   
   to use the mower to cut the first two (carelessness, inadvertence, the   
   result is the same). It isn't that hard to wrangle the cord -- but it   
   does require a great deal of attention.   
   2) For a battery-powered mower: "high center of gravity". The battery   
   is quite heavy and sits on top, which apparently affects turning   
   ability.   
      
   And, of course, even rechargeable batteries have their problems: they   
   have to be charged; when they run out, the mower stops; and it adds a   
   few /more/ things that can need repair or replacement.   
   --   
   "I begin to envy Petronius."   
   "I have envied him long since."   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)