A Yard Full of Memories

Learning the Ropes

I went out to mow our yard for the first time last week. As my husband went over all the instructions on how to use the mower, I kept remembering last summer when I thought I would help and mow, and my father-in-law, Marshall, came around the corner and gave me that look, like, what did I think I was doing?

Memories of Marshall

He did all the grass cutting for our yard, my daughter’s, and his yard, which is about 9 acres in total. My husband would do all the trimming and weed-eating, working alongside him. Plus, for many years, he also did the neighbor’s mowing. To say Marshall loved to cut grass was an understatement. Of course, I got off the mower!

More Than Just Mowing

As I mowed the same field and yard my father-in-law used to cut week after week, I kept looking at the long, crooked rows I had just done and thought, “Oh boy, I bet he is shaking his head up there in Heaven.” Marshall had a system: straight lines, no missed patches, no wasted steps.

Now, it’s the three of us—my brother-in-law Frank, my husband, and me doing it all together. I felt every bump and bounce of that mower. After about three hours, I was sore from head to toe. Honestly, I don’t know how Marshall did it for so many years. But truth be told, I loved it. It got me out of the house, away from the computer and phone. Just me, bundled up in two jackets, a flannel shirt, stocking hat, and gloves, riding through the cold, thinking and remembering. Remembering a man who loved to cut grass and loved his family.