The blonde leading the blonde

Deciding to surprise my folks after a long trip away from home I came up with the idea to greet them with steaks on the barbecue, homemade bread, and a fresh cut lawn. 
Who wouldn't love that!  

With my husband out of town, I was on my own to accomplish the above tasks. 

Steaks on the BBQ...check!

Homemade bread...check!

Fresh cut lawn..........ummmm.... so this is where my first problem started.

I have watched my father, husband and son all cut grass, how hard can that be? They zip back and forth, empty the bag and keep going until it is park like. 

Entering the garage I realize the push mower I have watched my men use is very different then the ride on one my dad used.

It is ride on so it must be easier right? 
Kinda like driving a car? 
Must be! 

So, how to start it..... 

Vowing I can do this without calling for help I climb all over John...Oh, Deere....Ummm...That would be John Deere! 
A John Deere must be better than a Dear John....

Searching the garage over I finally have to call someone to locate the key. Then I can get this party started.

Herein lies my next problem. The only one I can reach is my sister. Not that it is a bad thing. She has property and likely has ridden their John too.

 She tells me where the key is hidden in the house. 
Not sure why the key is hidden anyway! 
Gives me a quick tutorial on how to start, drive and "enjoy" this experience. 

Starting John was more challenging than starting my car but after a few attempts of it sputtering it started up. 

White knuckled from holding on tight was not the image I had in mind. I was picturing a leisurely ride in the county, smelling the steak and bread baking. 



I was far from the image of Daisy Duke looking all cute in my short cutoffs, crop top and cowboy hat. 
Because, why wouldn't you wear that trio to mow acreage in right?!

Apparently there is a Tortoise speed and a Jack Rabbit speed. My sister neglected to tell me this part.  

In Jack Rabbit speed John and I were gone in a green flash! 

Deciding I should only mow the level ground I was done in no time. The hills were going to have to be done by my dad. 
I could envision myself and my new fast friend John tumbling full speed down the steep incline.

My folks arrived shortly after, giving me plenty of time to come up with a good reason for only mowing the flat parts of the lawn. I can still hear my dad's laughter in recounting my terrifying experience on his mower. 

Instead of the blonde leading the blonde perhaps we would be better off leaving the heavy equipment operation to the men, or perhaps have a tutorial first!

I agreed to that!