Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Cowboy Landscaping, Kind of?


There was a pathetic knock at the door, so I answered it. A young man dressed in a tan cowboy hat, dark blue jeans, and scuffed cowboy boots wanted me to pay him to mow my lawn.

I looked over his left shoulder and evaluated the length of my grass. It didn't need to be mowed, it needed to be watered and fertilized. Too bad he didn't specialize in crabgrass.

"What about your backyard?" he desperately added before I could say no. Followed by his failed grass cutting aspirations. I could almost hear sad violins playing to the sound of neighbors slamming their doors in his face.

I asked him to come back, but he sniveled that the block he had to push his ratty lawn mower was too far for that. While his sales skills were lacking he had guilt down pat.

He finished mowing my front lawn, and returned to the front door. I paid him twenty dollars for the entire five minutes it took him to pretend to cut the grass.

Then...

"The slant of your yard broke my lawn mower," he accused after the money was in his hand.

"I'm sorry," was all I could muster up.

"No really! Do you want to see?" he insisted. "The wheel broke off!"

"No...I believe you..." I told him.

He stood in front of me in an awkward silence. "I guess I'll have to try and push it home," he finally spoke when it was apparent I wasn't offering up any more dough. "I can't mow any more lawns now," he complained as he clanked down the street.

I'd like to think my slanted yard did that cowboy a favor.

20 comments:

  1. Shady! I think I have the mower in the picture. :-)

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  2. Hmm.... I think I would have told him to git along, little doggie.

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  3. Nikki: If you are paying $20.00 to mow your lawn, give me a holler ANY time! My wheels are on solidly and I promise to wear only tennis shoes!

    Jerry

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  4. Uh .... let me rephrase! I would not be wearing ONLY tennis shoes (God help the neighborhood!), rather, I promise to wear tennis shoes instead of cowboy boots.

    JH

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  5. Wow. I don't know for sure, but I sense a Ponzi scheme in that young man's future. And I'm not talking as a victim.

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  6. Hopefully he figures it out someday!

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  7. Things like this make us harden our heart to people really in need. I work in downtown Phoenix and turn away from all the homeless and beggars due to similar reactions.

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  8. That is just funny. There are alot of people out there just trying to get money from others without really doing work.

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  9. Five minutes? Unless your lawn is ten square feet of green...

    I cut the lawn for my landlady every couple of weeks. It usually takes forty five minutes.

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  10. Oh you were nicer than me! I would have been mad after his last comment. Maybe that's worked for him before--I can't imagine.

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  11. Oh my word! It's so annoying! It's like the one time a beggar knocked on my door and begged for something to eat. So I made him a sandwich and ham. He ended up complaining that I didn't even add mustard.

    I mean... seriously. :-/

    You're much nicer than I am.

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  12. people nowadays, i swear!! i love your profile.

    found and following via cup of joe :)
    [oomph.]

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  13. Ut-oh! Poor kid. Work is hard to come by these days.

    Sorry, I haven't been over in a while. Overwhelmed.

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  14. Hi,

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  16. Oh my word - sounds like he wanted more money to fix the mower! lol I'm hopping over and following, from the hop. I have enjoyed reading several of your posts and I will def. be back!

    Have a great evening.

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  17. How old was this guy/kid? I am such a push over I would have let him cut my grass too. But, I dont think I would pay a penny more if the lawn mower broke. Thats on him.

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  18. Oh, not good. What will you do when he gets his stupid mower repaired some how? He'll be baaack!

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  19. That was a really funny story, thanks for sharing!


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  20. Wow! I don't know what I would have done in that situation. That reminds me to not answer the door anytime soon!

    I came across your blog (a day early) through Thursday's Cup of Joe Blog Hope! You're a great writer, and I'll be back to read more!

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