Many people bemoan the chore of mowing the lawn. True, you get dirty from the flying grass and blowing dirt. The machines can be difficult to maintain. And it takes up time that you could be using for more constructive activities such as lounging on your porch swing.

On the other hand, the task of cutting grass is one I would put on my list of ideal jobs. Mowing means you can just enjoy the drone of the mower rather than talking to someone. Mowing gives you time to think, only occasionally interrupted by the quick dashes around toys and bikes left laying around the yard. Most importantly, mowing gives you a sense of accomplishment. When you hop off that mower at the end, you can turn around and see what you have done -- and whether you need to hop back on and trim up the spots you missed.

While I do enjoy mowing, there are limits. I appreciate the rain the area has been receiving, but I am also just as thankful when precipitation avoids us, since the rain increases the frequency of my mowing. Rain means I have to mow the grass/weeds/gopher mounds once a week rather than getting by with just every two or three weeks.

This may seem like I'm shirking my duties to mow, but when it takes two people a good five hours to complete the job, you would understand.

And the task must be completed in one day, otherwise another problem crops up and it's not just more weeds: Different heights in the lawn.

The other day, I used the push-mower to trim around the house and the out-buildings during what was to be a five-minute job. Every time I thought I was done, I would scan the yard, only to see a few taller strands of grass. Three hours and two tanks of gas later, I finally admitted that I couldn't get every tall weed and shut off the mower.

Despite my fondness for mowing, the situation involving my mower has not been smooth sailing recently. In fact, it was taking a toll on my marriage as I repeatedly asked my husband to get the mower in perfect-working order or at least minimal-working order.

(Prior to this week's overhaul of my mower, his answer to my requests was the installation of a cup-holder on the mower. At least, I wouldn't be thirsty as I spent the next half-hour prepping the mower.)

When I mow, I would like to be able to just walk outside, turn on the mower and get rolling. Instead, starting the mower was a monumental job in itself.

I am not making this up, but this is what was required to get my riding lawn-mower going:

For starters, I had to locate a screwdriver. You might assume this was to fix the mower. Actually, a flat-head screwdriver was needed to start the mower since small hands relocated the key to an undisclosed location years ago, never to be found again.

The screwdriver is turned in the ignition, only to have (no surprises here) the mower not start. The battery is dead.

All I need to do is get the mower over to a vehicle, jump it and I'm on my way. But, once again, it's not that simple because mowers don't move too well when the tires are flat.

The next step, locate the air compressor hose and inflate all four tires and hope they stay on the rims.

With the tires round and the mower movable, the next step is to jump-start the machine. Once again, not as simple as it sounds because I must locate keys to start the vehicle which will be used to jump the mower.

Presuming all goes well and the mower starts (not a guarantee), I still can't say that all is wonderful on the mower. The blades don't exactly match up, which means a swath of grass is left in the middle of each row I mow. I must repeatedly pass over the same spot in order to have an even lawn. On the bright side, I just have more time to think -- about how I'd like a new mower.

-- Ronda Graff's husband spent an entire day fixing the mower's tires, replacing the battery, locating a key and aligning the blades. Now, they're fighting over who gets to mow.