Posted 1:05 PM by Bonnie

Power mower: I know, I know... I don't like power mowers. They are loud, so I can't listen to books on tape while using one. They are smelly and you have to worry about gas and oil and crap. But, with more and more piling up, I found I needed to get the lawn done faster than my little person powered mower would go.
SO! this weekend I went to Lowe's and got a small power mower. I got one already assembled because I knew if I had to assemble it - well that just wasn't going to happen. I found the spark plug, I found where to put the gas, I even found where to put the oil. But! I couldn't open the darn oil thing! So, had to have one of my neighbors sons do that for me. So, I get the oil in, I fill the gas tank, I prime the darn thing.... I do everything the little not so helpful help manual tells me to do. The engine makes noises like it's going to start...but doesn't. So, I try again.. and again...and again....!! My arms aren't long enough to pull the darn start cord hard enough and fast enough to get it to turn the engine over! Now, my husband will have to start it for me the first few times, until it gets loosened up enough for me to do. I know I can start a power mower. I've done it before. I've used them before. But this is my first brand new one. With more and more women doing these types of chores, I wonder why they haven't made one with a shorter start cord!! I know we've come a long way, baby, but we need to start letting tool manufactures know that women are using their equipment and perhaps they should design models with women in mind as well as men. How do short men handle these situations?