Ah, that beautiful sloping lawn in front of our house looked so gorgeous when we bought the house back in 2004.

I bought a new John Deere riding mower and tackled it while humming the theme song from Green Acres when spring approached.

That was then.

Now I curse the lawn.  I starts growing way too early in the season, grows way too fast and demands far more time than estimated when we bought the place.

The stretch of green that sets between the stream running through our yard and the road never dries fully and clogs the mower.  The stretch above has fallen victim to moles and now has so many dips, crevices and mower snagging holes that my already-fragile back aches after each mowing.

On a good day, it takes four hours or more to mow the yard.  Edging?  Another day’s work if I have the time, which isn’t often.

The war began Monday.  It will continue until late fall and I’m already losing.