Rant, Complain, Talk

An eye for an eye

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My ride-on mower is kaput, and I can get nobody to repair it. Meanwhile, the grass had grown waist-high, far too tall for a mower anyway, and my dogs were covered in ticks. So, when I noticed the other day that my nearest neighbour, who'd had the same problem, had somehow managed to get his own jungle cut, I asked him who had worked the miracle. He directed me to a local farmer with a mower attachment on his tractor.

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Now, there was a time, not so long ago, when if I happened to pass this neighbour's house while walking my four hounds and his dog, Toby by name, decided to tag along, he considered it his solemn duty to leap into his car, screech up behind me, bellow in a manner most unbecoming a gentleman, grab poor Toby, bundle him into the back seat, and speed back from whence he came.

These days he smiles, waves, and tells me it's nice to see me.

Why the change in attitude? Well, my dear reader, I put it down to my considerable charm, which nobody can resist forever. I'm so sweet I'm like Pollyanna, and Heidi rolled into one (‘Too sweet to be wholesome," my mother used to say.)

I refused to let his eccentricity affect the cheerful way I greeted him whenever we crossed paths, so that after a mere two years he saw the error of his ways and abandoned his ridiculous ritual. Nowadays he not only gives me a cheery wave but positively encourages Toby to join me by kicking his arse out the door.

Anyway, back to my long grass and the cutting thereof.

The farmer agreed, somewhat reluctantly, to tame my three-acre wilderness, explaining that he wasn't really in the grass-cutting business but sympathised with my dogs' tick problem. After three solid hours on the tractor in blistering heat, he asked for the princely sum of sixty euros. Since I happen to believe that a labourer is worthy of his hire and to make myself feel good, I insisted on giving him one hundred and twenty instead.

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I'm very glad I did.

The following day he sent a friend with a baler to collect every last blade of cut grass and turn it into silage, saving me what would otherwise have been another monumental job.

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Win-win.

And the moral of the story? I have no idea, but what I do know is that if I’d responded to my neighbour’s madness with some madness of my own, I’d still be picking ticks off my dogs. So there!

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Comments · 11

@waleedraza(59)· 50d
@agmoore(76)· 52d
Brings to mind Senorita Morales, my high school Spanish teacher. She was a dignified woman with old world charm. She told the class that every day she would get in the elevator and say, "Good morning" to everyone present. Also brings to mind my cousin, Lee. He was an elevator operator back in the day when there was such a thing. He said that no matter the demeanor of people who got on his elevator, he would smile. He wouldn't let their mood, or their issues cloud his day.

There is something solid about people who know who they are, and are not swayed by the mood of every person who passes by. That's you, my friend, solid :)
@hivebuzz(74)· 52d
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@lee1938(68)· 52d
#hive #posh
@coinjoe(73)· 52d
This reminds me of when I was a kid and living in the country side. Farmers were the most neighborly and helpful people. I remember the local farmers always plowing out snow from our driveway or doing other favors for us. Of course, as with yours, they would be offered compensation. Most times they refused. I agree, eye for an eye does nothing but make everyone go blind. I am more of a let Karma have its way type. At least these days.
@scribblingramma(70)· 53d
Well, that sure worked out well for everybody!!
@owasco(73)· 53d
Great story!!!! I have the same kind of conversations about wages. I want them to want to work for me. win win indeed. I want to be your neighbor.
@theworldaroundme(76)· 53d
What a lovely story my lovely @deirdyweirdy, and what a hero the farmer was! Good on you for paying him what his hard work deserved, I have a soft spot for them, having been brought up by farmer parents. I believe that life has a way of balancing things, and often when we are being ourselves and when we are persistent and generous, something nice happens unexpectedly. 💕
@shanibeer(74)· 53d
120 euros was a bargain, with or without the bales ... what will you do with them?
@davideownzall(74)· 53d
You could buy a cutting grass robot!

It was a good deal, a mechanic wants 40€ x h Here, so he asked a fair price
@fieryfootprints(74)· 53d
I am glad that I don't have enough land to need ride-on mower. I hate when any equipment dies. I don't think that I am favorite buyer of many things. I definitely don't buy a new phone every year. I still use a phone I bought probably in 2022 or 2023...For around 100 eur. So I assume that I am not a target audience for a lot of things. ~~At the same time I lost count of how much I spent on various art supplies/tools long time ago.~~ And if such big investment as ride-on mower would die I would be really angry. Like this: