Back in Time - Yard Work
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| Rosa aka "Rosie" approximately 1982 |
The riding lawnmower was not simply a prop because mom used it every week to mow her large yard. The mower in this photo was a Massey Ferguson - fire engine red and easy to maneuver around the caragana bushes that were part of the windbreak along the road. Several years later she purchased a John Deere mower with two large bags on the back for collecting clippings. The John Deere also made it easy to clear the cottonwood trees' leaves in the fall.
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| Rich ~ 1986 |
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| Nancy ~ 1986 notice the blanket of leaves yet to be raked near the trees |
Note the bushel basket in the last two photos. I haven't seen one of those in years. Have you?
It always amazes me how many leaves are on a tree. It's not something I think about much until they end up on the ground. :)
ReplyDeleteThose big ol' trees sure put down a LOT of leaves! I didn't know that people transported their leaves (I assume as mulch) to their fields. I was aware of burning them in ditches. Picking them up with the mower sure saved a lot of raking!!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you Mom appreciated the upgrade to a John Deere. They run FOREVER!
ReplyDeleteWe used to rake leaves to the curb and then set them afire. To me that smoke is the smell of fall.
Here, we aren't allowed to burn. Too big a risk of wildfires, I suppose. But, I only have one tree that requires raking. And that's rare -- it's more scooping up of acorns on the driveway so we don't kill ourselves slipping on them.
That is a LOT of leaves...whew!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos!! And no... I don't think I've even seen a bushel basket at the orchards in ages. Boo.
ReplyDeleteI know how much that riding mower must have meant to your mother!! We used a push mower for all of my growing-up years. When the neighbors went to power mowers my dad held on to his push mower and insisted it was "good for me" to push it around the yard on a Saturday morning. And, he was probably right!!
ReplyDeleteNancy there is so much family history on your land. I love it. Your mom on the mower is priceless!
ReplyDeleteSuch wonderful memory photos!! Love Rosie!!!
ReplyDeleteBlessings
I saw a bushel basket in an antique store on Sunday! Brought back some good memories..corn and peas from the garden oh and beans:)
ReplyDeleteI have a couple bushel baskets... bought them in British Columbia at a fruit market!!...
ReplyDeleteLove that first photo of your mom. I think it is great to have photos that show real people doing real tasks. I have a photo of my mom in a floppy garden hat, and it is one of my favorites. She can often be found in her garden wearing that hat.
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